Protecting People
by xXLauren MusicXx
Summary: What happens if someone you love goes missing? And then they act perfectly normal when they suddenly return. What do you do? But what if they're acting normal to protect you? Would you still want to know? MeiXD'Jok TiaXRocket Micro-IceXYuki
1. Happy but for how long?

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Summary: **Everything seems fine until a loved one goes missing…and when they suddenly return and tell you nothing, it hurts. Especially when you can tell something serious is wrong. But what if they're not telling you to protect you…if you knew that, would you still want to know?-Galactik Football

**Another new one! Don't ask what made me think of it, I don't know! I just dreamt about one night and thought it would be a good Fanfic story!**

**Also, there is no particular main character. There are six. Mei, D'Jok, Rocket, Tia, Micro-Ice and Yuki! Just as most of you guys voted! There has been a lot of Mei and D'Jok requests but hardly any stories, hardly any Micro-Ice and Yuki stories and yes, loads of Rocket and Tia but there's no point in having the other two couples without them!**

**Finally, every couple will have a couple of chapters where they're the main sort of characters and the first couple is Rocket and Tia but there's a reason for that which you will see in future chapters. The other couples are in it though; it's just that Rocket and Tia is the main sort of focus for a few chapters. **

**So…with that in mind…on with the story!**

**All in Normal POV**

Rocket and Tia were having another making-out session while lying on his bed in his house. Soon things began to get quite passionate as her hands slid down his chest and removed his shirt. Realising her desires, Rocket's hands slid down and he began to undo her trousers until…

'Rocket! Can you come down here for a minute? We need your help with something!' his Dad called and they broke away. Rocket sighed heavily before muttering:

'We really should consider buying our own place,' he joked but Tia said something he wasn't expecting as he attempted to get off her.

'Maybe we should,' she said innocently and he stopped and looked at her curiously.

'You want to move in together?' he questioned wonderingly, not sure if that was what she was trying to tell him or more he was in shock that she did.

'Well, I've been thinking about it for a while since we've been together for a long time now and we're old enough and we never get the privacy we want with our parents or the Snow Kids around so…why not? If you want to, so would I. What do you say?' she asked and Rocket couldn't remove the smile from his face and swiftly planted his lips on top of her and after a few minutes, broke away.

'That would be…amazing,' he replied before giving her another passionate kiss and then reluctantly going down to help his parents with what they needed…

After helping his parents, Rocket and Tia got excited over moving in together (despite not having even told his parents or her parents yet about their plans) that they were currently looking at a few houses on the internet with Tia sitting on Rocket's lap.

'What about that one?' he asked, pointing to an old bungalow. Tia looked then made a face.

'No, too old and also too far from the Academy,' she informed and then they spent the next while looking through some more but eventually their attention kept spinning to each other and eventually they gave in and kept it that way and were now enjoying _another_ making-out session but broke away when Tia's phone started ringing.

'Great…' muttered Rocket before Tia answered it. It was her parents requesting that she come home immediately so Rocket had walked her to the front door. 'Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?' he asked hopefully but Tia just laughed.

'It's just around the corner. What could happen?' she exclaimed and Rocket smiled.

'Alright. I get what you mean. I'll call you later, ok?' he said and she happily nodded before they locked lips and reluctantly said goodbye…

'Stop laughing! It's not that bad…' Mei exclaimed but didn't really believe it herself. That commercial was bad. Despite her exclaim, her boyfriend continued to laugh but when he realised her embarrassed expression, he went over next to her on Micro-Ice's bed and locked lips with hers as an apology. At first, he received no reaction but after accepting his apology, Mei wrapped her arms around his neck and passionately kissed back. The passion continued and soon intensified as D'Jok gently nipped on her bottom lip and she happily obliged. While their tongues were circling around one another, a sudden loud cough made them jump apart and found Micro-Ice standing there with an awkward expression on his face.

'Micro-Ice!' D'Jok exclaimed, not expecting his best friend to be back from his girlfriend's so soon. 'I thought you were with Yuki,' he pointed out, not embarrassed by the fact that his friend had caught them kissing but the fact that they were caught kissing on his bed.

'I was…' he replied slowly, still in shock. 'But she had to meet her parents. Wait, why am I answering questions? Why are two making out in my bed?' he questioned and Mei and D'Jok looked at each other nervously. They were so dead now.

'Well…I, erm…' D'Jok wasn't sure how to answer but Mei jumped in so he didn't have to.

'Sorry Micro but we have to go…do something for Aarch,' she said before hastily getting off the bed, grabbing her boyfriend's hand leaving the room.

'Mei, what-' he began once they were out of a shocked Micro-Ice's sight but she held up a hand to stop him.

'Well, Tia is spending the night in Rocket's house which means that we my room is free…' she whispered seductively before locking lips with his and was soon leading him in the direction of her room. The continued to kiss feverishly as they entered her room before falling into a night of passion…

Rocket had tried for about the hundredth time to call Tia but still received no answer. It had been two hours since she had left his house and he tried her phone but received no answer. Then he tried her house and Stella answered but said that she hadn't heard from her all day. Finally, he tried her parents who thought she was with him since they hadn't seen her all day, even after they had requested she meet them.

'Where could she be?' he muttered before trying to phone Mei but received no answer. And then, getting desperate, he even tried Aarch and the rest of the team but none of them had seen her. He had tried everything but still had no idea where she was. He sighed as he tried her phone but it went to voice mail once again and he hung up before getting into bed since it was late. All he could do was hope that she would be at the early training session tomorrow morning…

'Micro-Ice! Get up! Get up!' Yuki joked, jumping up and down on her boyfriend's bed. Micro-Ice moaned and moved the blanket up to cover his face making Yuki laugh as she landed on top of him making him jump and remove the covers from his face.

'I hate morning people,' he muttered jokingly and the twosome laughed out loud and Yuki rested her chin on her folded arms that were resting on his chest.

'Yeah well, I hope you mean Aarch! Early morning training session, remember?' she pointed out making Micro-Ice moan once again and bring the blankets up over his head again and Yuki, once again, had to try and get him up…

'Morning,' D'Jok muttered to his angel lying next to him as he wrapped his arms around her and began kissing her bare shoulder.

'Morning,' she replied sleepily as she enjoyed his lips on her shoulder. After a few minutes of relaxation, Mei turned round and locked lips with D'Jok. They continued to kiss passionately before D'Jok broke away after a few moments.

'I should go and get ready for training,' he announced disappointedly and noticed a mischievous smile spread across.

'Alright,' she replied. 'As long as you make it up to me later,' she ordered and D'Jok smiled before giving her another quick, passionate kiss and then getting up to collect his clothes…

Rocket was already up and dressed and was trying to phone Tia but it was still going to voicemail. He was beginning to get extremely worried. He had phoned her parents and Stella and neither of them had heard anything from her. He didn't ring anyone else because it was still early and he hoped that when he got the Academy, she would be there. With that in mind, he decided to head to the Academy early so he quickly grabbed his jacket and left the house…

All of the Snow Kids were in the training room except for Tia but none of the Snow Kids took any notice. They all noticed however Rocket's dim expression. Something was wrong but all of them were too afraid to ask what. After a few more minutes, Aarch came in.

'Ok Snow Kids…' he began but stopped when he looked at the team. 'Where's Tia? Rocket?' he questioned, noting his nephew's gloom expression and the face that Tia was absent. Rocket looked up in hearing his name and noticed all the Snow Kids and Aarch looking at him. Finally, he admitted the truth to them as well as himself.

'I don't know where she is. She was with me yesterday but then she left to meet her parents but they never seen her after that as well as anyone else. No one knows where she is,' he informed with guilt, disappointment and worry in his voice. All the Snow Kids exchanged worried expressions before turning to Aarch to see what he thought.

'Rocket…what do you think happened?' he asked his nephew, realising that he was still refusing to admit the truth to himself. Rocket took a breath before answering.

'I think…I think she's been kidnapped. If it was any other reason, she would've come to somebody and she was perfectly happy and fine when she left my house so I don't know…' he began to exclaim before it became too much and he buried his face in his hands. Maybe she was fine, maybe she wasn't. Maybe she could turn up any minute, maybe she'll never turn up. And when there was still no sign of her after training, Rocket as well as the rest of the team began to think the worst. Tia wouldn't disappear without telling anyone where she was. She wasn't like that. Little did they know, Tia and everything else was about to change…


	2. The Shock Return

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Previously: **_All the couples were happy until Tia went missing and Rocket suspects she's been kidnapped. Even though it doesn't seem like it, Tia's disappearance doesn't just affect her and Rocket, but also the other couples and announces the start of deadly…_

Rocket tried to call Tia again even though he didn't expect to get an answer. And of course, he was right. They had called everywhere they thought she might be but no one had seen or heard from her since she left Rocket's house. Rocket sighed as it went to voicemail and removed the phone from his ear and began to stare at nothing. His mind was filled of where Tia's possible whereabouts so he didn't hear his parents sit next to him on the couch until he spoke.

'How are you doing?' his Mum questioned wonderingly even though everyone knew he wasn't doing well at all.

'Not good. And it doesn't help that I blame myself for letting this happen,' he admitted regrettably. He blamed himself for everything.

'Why? What could you have done that could've prevented this from happening?' his Mum questioned, confused by his confession.

'I should've walked her home. Maybe I could've stopped something from happening. I could've stopped it,' he said with guilt. He could feel the tears fighting to the surface but being him, he didn't want to show this in front of anyone that wasn't Tia. With that in mind, he muttered a quick something to his parents and retreated to his room. The second the door was closed, the tears began to fall and Rocket pinned his hands behind his head.

'_How could this have happened?_' he thought to himself over and over again. Out of frustration, Rocket slammed his fists against the wall. He never showed his feelings to anyone or at least not at first and even though he knew everyone knew how he felt right now, he still found it hard to show his feelings in front of them. He never had that problem with Tia however. Ever since he had plucked up the courage to admit his feelings for her when he realised them, showing his feelings to her was no problem. He always felt better about everything when he talked to her and he knew she felt the same when she talked to him which she always did, no matter what the situation. She told him everything and he did the same for her. That's one reason why they were so close. There were so close for many other reasons as well. Relaxing a bit so he could think straight at least, Rocket took a few deep breaths and went over and sat on his bed and buried his face in his hands. He lifted his head up and took a few more deep breaths when he noticed a picture of an angel on his bedside table. It wasn't until he picked it up and had a close look at it that he realised it was his angel, sitting on his bed wearing his shirt and her short shorts. He looked at it with a light smile on his face for a few moments.

'I'll get you back Tia…even if it kills me,' he promised aloud. He was going to save her. The problem was that he didn't know how to do that yet…

Rocket wasn't the only trying to get in touch with Tia and no luck; Mei was pacing in her room with phone at her ear while her anxious boyfriend sat on her bed.

'Where could she be?' Mei muttered, still refusing to believe that her best friend had been kidnapped. D'Jok was also very anxious and had got in touch with his Dad who was now trying to see if he had any more luck on Tia's whereabouts but so far…nothing. No one heard or seen her since she left Rocket's house and no one, not even Sonny, was any closer to finding out where she was now. There was no evidence even pointing to her being kidnapped. Mei finally gave up and hung up the phone since it had gone to voicemail once again for about the hundredth time. She took a few deep breaths and held her hand to her face in frustration and realising she was upset, D'Jok quickly got off the bed and embraced her close. She clung on to him in response and he kissed her forehead supportively.

'Tia will be fine Mei,' he tried to assure her but even he wasn't so sure of it himself. And of course, Mei knew this and pulled back so she could look him straight in the eye so he didn't lie to her.

'Really D'Jok? How can you be sure?' she asked with tears in her eyes. D'Jok didn't like seeing her this way at all but he knew he was the only one that could comfort her.

'I don't. But sometimes being hopeful works Mei,' he said with assurance but wasn't sure if it worked. And he still didn't know as Mei began to cry harder and all D'Jok could do was comfort her and worry about his fellow teammate's whereabouts…

'Poor Tia. I wonder what happened to her…' Yuki wondered aloud to both her boyfriend and two cousins, one of which was fast asleep as usual!

'Don't worry little cousin, she'll be fine. Tia isn't the kind to be pushed around; she'll get through whatever she's in danger from!' Thran assured his little cousin knowingly. In fact, he was the only one that believed that Tia's feisty and stubborn personality would get her out of all trouble.

'I hope you're right Thran…' Yuki muttered and bowed her head but brought it back up again when she heard her boyfriend yell.

'YES!' Micro-Ice screamed, holding the magazine up in the air that he was just reading and then he realised he had screamed aloud and now everyone, including Ahito, was staring at him. 'Oh…hi guys!' he muttered and quickly got back to reading the magazine…

Rocket was now walking back home after searching for Tia for nearly four hours. Even when he started looking he hadn't expected to find. She had been missing for exactly two days ten minutes ago (yes, Rocket was recording the amount of time she was absent, including minutes) so he hadn't expected to find her. However, he was feeling miserable just sitting around the house and eventually couldn't take it and went out to look. And he was right because he had found nothing. Not a sign of her. It was as if she never existed. And this made Rocket's heart feel like it had just fallen out.

While walking up the pathway to his house, he noticed something sitting on the porch step. It wasn't until he was closer he saw that it was someone but he still wasn't close enough to make out who. But as soon as he was a few metres away, he knew immediately who it was when he was her platinum blond hair.

'Tia…' he muttered, both surprised and relived at the same time. In hearing her name being said, Tia looked up and found Rocket looking at her with a shocked expression. She immediately stood up and went over to him and he took her face in his hands as if to make sure she was real. 'Tia…how…' he began but stopped when she burst into tears. Acting on his instincts, he took her in his arms and rubbed up and down her back soothingly. Many thoughts were spinning around his mind like "what happened to her", "is she ok now?", "will she tell me?" Those were only some but the main question was: how could she have disappeared and suddenly turn up in two days?

A few hours later, Tia's exhaustion had over-whelmed her and she fell asleep on Rocket's lap on his couch. They hadn't spoken; Rocket had only comforted her while she cried and finally ran out of tears and fallen asleep. Even when she was asleep, Rocket never let her go and kept a tight grip around her waist as if he was afraid he would lose her again if he let go. Suddenly, Rocket's parents came in and were extremely surprised to see Tia asleep in his arms. Before they could say anything, Rocket explained to them what had happened and they spoke about it for another while until his parents went off to bed.

Rocket's own exhaustion was soon beginning to over whelm him and he didn't want to disturb Tia so he stayed where he was and soon felt his eyes beginning to drop. Before could fully fall asleep, he felt nervous and tense and opened his eyes fully to make sure everything was fine but when he looked down, he saw Tia with a frightened look in her eyes and was gripping on to him in fear. Knowing she was having a night mare, Rocket tried his best to wake her up.

'Tia…Tia, wake up,' he pleaded and at first, received no reaction but after a moment she shot up and out of his grip which made him nervous so he immediately put it back. 'Tia, are you alright?' he asked nervously, brushing some lose hair out of her face and while she sat with her elbows on her knees and her hands in her head and he could hear her trying to breathe properly.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' she muttered quickly and it was also the first time Rocket had heard her speak since she miraculously returned. However, it wasn't the angel like voice Rocket had loved for many years. It wasn't completely different but he knew something was different about it and he didn't like it, not one bit. He continued to try and comfort her for a while before knowing that he had to ask soon or else he would never get it out of her…

'Tia…' he began slowly and she turned to look at him. 'What happened to you?'


	3. Lies for Rocket and Tia

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**This chapter is pretty much Rocket x Tia the whole way through so my apologies to any readers who does not like! However, this is the only Rocket x Tia chapter and the other two couples will have their own as well. It's pretty much a part of the story where every couple has one chapter dedicated to them so, this is Rocket x Tia's one! The next will be…Mei x D'Jok! Sorry for any inconvenience of some sort to some readers!**

**Previously: **_How could this have happened...Where could she be...Poor Tia and poor Rocket…Tia…what happened to you…but will Rocket receive the answer he's looking for…_

Tia looked at Rocket for a few moments and bit down on her bottom lip. Rocket raised his eyebrows and his face carried a worried and concerned expression. Finally, she answered.

'Nothing happened, I just needed to…get away,' she replied unconvincingly and Rocket could tell she was lying because her eyes betrayed her. He didn't understand why she didn't tell him the truth though.

'Tia…don't lie to me…' he pleaded with her but didn't receive the reaction he was looking for.

'I'm not Rocket!' she said firmly and tried to eye him convincingly but Rocket knew her too well.

'Then…why would you go off without telling me? You were fine when you left here. Why not talk to me?' he asked worriedly. He knew she was lying but he had to understand why. She didn't lie to him naturally.

'Because…I needed to think on my own Rocket. And I know that if I told you I was leaving, you wouldn't have let me go without talking to you first, at least. I never meant to worry anyone, I swear. I'm sorry but I just…needed to get away,' she apologized but Rocket looked at her uncertainly but reluctantly decided to leave it…for now at least. He wasn't giving up however until he knew the truth.

'Alright…' he replied reluctantly and removed his gaze from hers for the first time since she suddenly returned. Within seconds however, it was back to her. 'Tia…' he began and she turned round to him. He didn't say anything but immediately leant in and attached his lips to hers. It was so good to feel her lips on his; he had gone so long without it. He couldn't remove his lips from hers the second they were in contact and he refused to let her go once his arms were wrapped tightly around her waist. She seemed to miss him as well as she passionately kissed him back and dug her hands into him but he didn't mind. Rocket soon began to slowly and carefully push her down on the couch while also nipping on her bottom lip to which she obliged. Soon, he was positioned on top of her and was circling his lover's mouth with his tongue while his hands were trying to grasp every fibre of her body. Soon, his love and passion for her overwhelmed her and he soon forgot about their recent bump as his hands slid down her sides and began to life her shirt up. And for the first time ever, she did something he had never expected…she refused him. As soon as she felt him reach down, she immediately began to struggle and quickly removed her lips from his and shoved him out of the way so she could get up and out of his grip.

'Rocket…no!' was her firm reply as she jumped off the couch with Rocket sitting on his knees looking at her in disbelief as she leaned on armchair and tried to get her breathing back. Rocket couldn't believe it. She refused him. She had never, ever done that before. Rocket could only look at her in shock for a few moments before he fully realised what had happened and began to question her, still breathless from their moment.

'Tia…what…why?' he asked breathlessly. He wasn't sure of how to ask. He had never had to ask before because she had never refused him before. She took a few more deep breaths before replying.

'I'm just…tired, that's all,' she replied and Rocket could tell she was trying to come up with an excuse. Rocket gave her a confused look before finding an answer to reply.

'What?' he exclaimed, now beginning to get angry. She had never lied to him before so what made this time different? 'Tia, what is going on? Tell me!' he nearly yelled but even he could tell the aggravated tone in his voice.

'Rocket, I…' she began but Rocket cut in.

'Tia, I want the truth!' he ordered and Tia looked at him with a scared and sad look. She didn't know how to respond. She knew he cared but she had to get him to understand that she couldn't tell him but without actually telling him and so far, lying wasn't getting her very far. She bit on her bottom lip as she wondered about what and what not to tell him but the way his eyes were pleading at her to tell him the truth made it hard to think let alone decide. And it made it even harder for her to think when he got off the couch, went up to her and rubbed her shoulders for assurance. 'Tia…please,' he pleaded with her, wanting her to tell him what he could tell she badly wanted to tell him. Instead of answering though, Tia couldn't take it and broke down for the second time that night and Rocket left what he wanted, no, needed to know so he could comfort her. He embraced her tightly and rubbed up and down her back reassuringly as well as kissing her forehead. Whatever happened could wait. She was upset and he considered it his job to comfort her…and he also considered it his job to keep her safe which was beginning to become a problem…

After a while, Rocket and Tia were still standing with his arms wrapped around her after she had calmed down but they were both too contented to move but Rocket knew it was getting late.

'Do you want to go to bed?' he whispered into her ear and she only nodded and he released her but kept a tight grip on her hand as they went upstairs to his room. He handed Tia his shirt and her short shorts that she usually wore when she slept with him and he left her to get changed and when he went back in, he found her curled up in a small ball on his bed with a dazed look on her face. He looked at her with a sorrowful look in his eyes before slowly starting towards her and slowly sat next to her on the bed but was careful not to scare her. She jumped slightly when she felt some movement and turned to him but relaxed when she saw him. Rocket never said anything but instead he just grabbed the blanket, and pulled it around them before leading her down on to the pillow. He kept a tight grip around her waist and she clung on to his shirt and closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. 'I love you,' he whispered into her ear and Tia forced herself to keep it in her head by repeating it over and over again as it was the only thing that kept her from going crazy…

Tia was in a room so familiar yet so new to her at the same time. It was a black room and she couldn't move from the chair she was sitting in because she strapped into it. She forced herself not to panic by focusing on her breathing and not the hundreds of machines she could just about see around her. Suddenly, she heard someone speak in the darkness.

'I hope you're ready my dear…' the voice said before a figure came into view. However, she didn't get time to register its features before she suddenly felt pain shoot all over her body making her scream at the top of her lungs.

Tia shot up and continued to scream before she realised she was awake and the nightmare was over even if it was still vivid in her mind. She buried her face in her hands and tried to calm her breathing while tears slowly streamed down her face when she felt someone's arms try and wrap themselves around her for comfort and that's when she heard his voice.

'Hey Tia, its ok…' he whispered to her comfortingly and tried to wrap his arms around her but instead she shrugged him off.

'I'm fine,' she muttered angrily before jumping of the bed and running into the bathroom, locking the door behind her while he sat on his bed and looked on with a shocked expression on his face.

The second the door was locked, Tia began to pace.

'Calm down Tia, it was only a dream…' she muttered to herself over and over again but knew deep down it was far from it. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest and the sweat dripping down her forehead but that's not what was worrying her. What was worrying her was lying to Rocket…again. She dreaded going out to face him and telling him a random nightmare that scared the shit out of her. She was struggling enough as it was to keep her cool. Even though she knew she couldn't tell him the truth, that didn't make it easier to lie and even knowing the consequences made it harder to lie. Lying to him was just something she wasn't good at and it hurt her and she could see it hurt him. She leaned on the sink and took a few deep breaths while trying to compose herself enough so she could think straight enough to come up with a convincing lie and one she could tell. Finally composed, she took a deep breath before heading back into the bedroom…

'Are you ok?' he asked immediately, ignoring how she brushed him off. She just smiled and nodded as she slowly approached the bed.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' she promised and sat down next to him on the bed again but didn't look him in the eye as they sat in an awkward silence while Tia messed with the sleeve on the shirt.

'Tia…' Rocket began, wanting to ask her something he badly didn't want to be true.

'Yeah…' she replied, sensing that something was wrong and turned towards him. She could tell by his eyes that her senses were right.

'If I ask you something, can you please promise me you'll tell me the truth?' he pleaded with her and Tia honestly wasn't sure as to how to reply. If it were any other situation before what had recently happened she would've said 'of course' but she wasn't sure how to reply since she had no idea as to what he was going to ask. 'Please…' he pleaded with her again and Tia couldn't refuse him in seeing those eyes so she nodded.

'I promise,' she swore and hoped that she wasn't going to regret it when he asked whatever he wanted to ask. Thankfully, it wasn't what she hoping it not to be but it was something she wasn't expecting it to be.

'Do you still love me?' he asked, nearly pleading with her. A part of him was telling him that that's what she went off to think about and was too afraid to admit it to him which was why she seemed so distant and he was trying to convince himself that she as just lying and she did love him when she didn't. However, the part of him still believed she did love him and was lying to protect him which he didn't understand why but he preferred this thought to the other one. He just needed to hear it from her to be sure.

'Of course I do. I know it seems like I'm blacking you out and whatever but there's just a lot going on and I just…need a bit of space which was why I went away but…I couldn't stay away from you for much longer which is why I came back. I just…need time,' she lied to him again only, for him, he thought it was the truth she said it that convincingly. Rocket sighed heavily with relief in hearing these words and smiled at her to which she replied by smiling back.

'I love you,' were the first words he spoke to break the new silence.

'I love you too,' replied Tia and even she knew this was no lie. Loving him was exactly why she was lying to him in the first place. Rocket could also tell this was no lie and leaned in and attached his lips to hers. She happily kissed back before they broke away and snuggled into each other's arms and went back to sleep, both unaware of many new disasters that were about strike over the next coming days…


	4. Nightmares and Abductions

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Previously: **_Rocket, No… Tia, I want the truth … I'm fine Rocket …It was only a dream… Do you love me…I love you… _

Rocket had just finished telling the rest of the team about what had happened the day before with Tia. Training was on pretty early and when Rocket awoke, Tia was still fast asleep and didn't look to be waking up soon so he left her be and went to training while she stayed in his house and he was just after explaining everything to the team and Aarch.

'I wonder what happened to her…' Mei thought aloud and realising Mei's worries, D'Jok slid a hand around her waist.

'I don't know,' Rocket replied. 'She won't talk to me,' he added sadly. He knew she loved him but that didn't make the truth any easier. Everyone, including Aarch was shocked by Rocket's statement. Tia told him everything, everyone knew that.

'Something must be seriously wrong Rocket if she won't talk to you. There's more to this than meets the eye…' Mei concluded and everyone, including Rocket, knew she was right. Something was going on but why wouldn't Tia talk to anyone? Nothing made any sense!

'Then…what do we do?' Yuki asked, wanting to know how they could resolve Tia's silence. She wanted to resolve it quick as it would not be good for anyone, especially her and Rocket. Rocket was the first reply.

'Give her time. If it's bothering her that much, she'll talk to someone…at least I hope she will,' he replied and everyone nodded before Aarch rushed them all into the holo trainer…

As Rocket entered his house, he found his parents sitting in the sitting room but no sign of Tia.

'Hey! Is Tia not up yet?' he asked immediately, slightly worried.

'No, she was still asleep the last time we checked on her. Don't worry, we kept an eye on her, she's fine,' his Mum replied and Rocket muttered a quick 'thanks' before going to see if she had woken up yet.

As he entered the room, he found her still sleeping peacefully and smiled to himself at seeing her so relaxed and peaceful. Completely different from how she was the night before. Rocket smiled to himself as he approached the bed. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 12 o'clock so she should probably be getting up so he slowly sat on the bed and tried to easily wake her.

'Tia…hey, Tia…' he said softly and she began to stir before opening her eyes after a few moments, taking in the world around her before turning to Rocket. 'Well good morning!' he welcomed and Tia smiled while making herself comfortable again, not wanting to get up quite yet.

'Morning,' she muttered. 'What time is it?' she asked, not bothering to look up at the clock on the bedside locker. Rocket laughed before answering her.

'It's 12 o'clock…midday,' he pointed out and only then did Tia realise he was wearing his training gear.

'What?' she exclaimed and sat up to take a look at the time for herself but was met by a massive headache instead, make her cry out in pain and Rocket immediately tend to her aid.

'Are you ok?' he asked immediately, now even closer than he was to her.

'Ask me when the blood starts circulating in my head again!' she replied and Rocket relaxed a bit. A few moments later, Tia was feeling a bit better. 'Why didn't you wake me for training?' she asked wonderingly, leaning with her back against the wall.

'You were too peaceful; I didn't want to disturb you. Besides, if you slept that long which you never usually do, it's clear you needed it,' he replied and she just smiled before Rocket was unable to resist and leaned up before locking lips with hers for a moment. They broke apart and he stole one last kiss before leaving her to get dressed…

_A few days later…_

Rocket was worried about Tia. She was back, much to his relief but she wasn't fully herself. There was something off only he couldn't put his finger down as to what. However, he began to fear the worst one night as they were asleep…

Rocket had awoken for some reason and Tia seemed contended so he tried to go back to sleep. He couldn't shake the feeling however that something was wrong. After about an hour, have gave up and decided to just lie there. That's when it all started.

Tia suddenly began to breathe heavily and sweat poured down her face. Rocket immediately acted on his conscience and tried to wake her up.

'Tia…Tia wake up, please!' he pleaded with her but she never responded. Instead, tears began to pour down her face and she began to scream frantically.

'NO! NO!' she began to scream, pain visible in her voice and Rocket tried to wake her more forcefully but she continued to scream. 'Please, NO!' she screamed again and again. 'HELP!' she screamed and Rocket, doing all he could, could not appear to be able to wake her. Why, he had no idea. 'Please don't hurt him!' Tia cried before letting out another scream. 'NO!' she yelped before suddenly springing up, much to Rocket's relief that she had finally woken up but he was not relieved to see her appearance. She was so scared. It twisted his heart in agony. Then, suddenly, before he could start to comfort her, she began to mutter something.

'I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!' she began to mutter, over and over again and Rocket was confused. Snapping out of his confusion, he pulled her to his chest. She went but still continued to mutter, 'I'm not crazy!' over and over and over again and only stopped when she fell back to sleep…

Rocket never slept a wink after that. The only thing he could see in his head was the fear in Tia's face. He knew that would haunt him forever. She was calm now but he could still hear her breathe unevenly every now and then so he was on red alert in case she needed him. He had no idea what the dream was about and quite frankly, he didn't want to know. But one thing she said, or more screamed, had his mind wondering: 'Please don't hurt him!' Who was 'him'? Did she mean him? Was she lying to him to protect him? If so, from what? What could be causing her so much pain and fear? Little did he know, those questions would soon be answered…

When Rocket awoke the next morning, he found Tia looking up at him with a smile on her face. He hadn't realised that he had fallen asleep. Or maybe he had dreamt it all along…no, that was wishful thinking. Tia's face was too vivid in his mind for it to be just a dream.

'Morning,' she welcomed. 'I'm awake before you this time,' she joked. She had slept in until twelve nearly every morning since the first time and this time, it was Rocket that had done that. But Tia was too happy to move from his warm and safe arms.

'Morning,' he replied and began to rub some loose strands of hair out of her face as they gazed into each other's eyes. 'Are you feeling alright now?' he asked worriedly but Tia's reply shocked him.

'What do you mean? Of course I'm fine,' she replied, giving him a funny look and Rocket's face fell. She didn't remember. How could she forget it?

'You weren't last night…remember that nightmare you had?' he asked, replaying a disastrous memory he didn't like to remember. However, Tia was still totally clueless.

'What nightmare?' she asked innocently. Rocket at first thought she was lying but he could tell that as a matter of fact she wasn't…she genuinely could not remember having that nightmare. And the same applied for the rest of that week. Tia would have the exact same nightmare, wake up screaming even when Rocket couldn't wake her up and then remember nothing of it the next day. However, he did notice over the rest of the week that Tia was more…paranoid. Every time someone stood behind her during training or even if Rocket sneaked up behind her to surprise her (which she always loved, even though she let on that she hated it), she would immediately jump and sometimes would let out a scream and if someone said anything, sometimes she would take it the wrong way. He didn't know what was going. However, soon he was going to find out…

_A week later…_

'So, do you fancy going out later?' D'Jok quickly asked Mei straight after training that afternoon (which was exactly a week after Tia had miraculously returned), trying to catch up with her as she was speeding out the door.

'I'd love to but I can't, we have training tonight, remember? And I have this commercial thing on right now and I'm already running late! How about tomorrow night?' she asked, still rushing out the door.

'Yeah, sure. Do you want me to walk you?' he asked and finally, Mei came to halt and turned round to him.

'It's only around the corner D'Jok, I'll be fine,' she replied and then kissed him. 'I'll see you later!' she replied and then left through the Academy doors…

At training that night, everyone was in the training room except for Mei and D'Jok but because it was both of them, they could nearly guess what they were up too. Tia and Rocket were sitting on one of the couches while the rest of the team were all chatting away to each other. Rocket had barely left Tia's side since she had returned and Tia still wasn't comfortable about being round the rest of the team in case they questioned her about her disappearing act which Rocket understood and stayed close by her. Aarch came into the room before suddenly, D'Jok came running into the room, and breathing heavily as if he had just ran a marathon. Finally, he spoke after he had immediately caught everyone's attention.

'It's Mei…' he said, breathing heavily. 'She's gone missing.'


	5. New Hope and New Troubles

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Ok, a lot of people were disappointed with the last chapter because it wasn't all Mei x D'Jok which people thought it was going to be. Unfortunately, this one isn't either (Mei's missing so I can't really be logically!) and it would've been the next one only I've decided to split this particular chapter into two as it was too long. Therefore, two chapters from now will be all Mei x D'Jok and I promise to make it a good one for all the fans out there that were disappointed! Sorry again!**

**Previously:** _I wonder what happened to her…Tia, wake up…I'm not crazy…What nightmare… I have this commercial thing on right now…its Mei, she's gone missing…_

'What?' all the Snow Kids exclaimed and immediately surrounded him except for Tia, who remained seated where she was.

'I've tried calling her: no answer. She was supposed to have a commercial shoot after she left here but she never showed up. No one's seen her since she left the Academy,' he informed them, fear and worry controlling his voice as he wondered as to what could've happened to his darling Mei. In hearing the story and in seeing D'Jok's terrified expression; many horrific memories came flooding back to Rocket as it was all very similar as to when Tia disappeared. The situation was very similar: Rocket was the last to hear and see Tia the same as D'Jok was with Mei. Also, Rocket knew all of what D'Jok was feeling right now all too well: worried, nervous, fearful, thinking the worst of what could've happened to her...only thinking of her, not that it was any different from before, but it was different in the sense that he was thinking of her in a different way but honestly, he preferred the way he thought of her before she vanished.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Rocket and he checked his watch while D'Jok was explaining to the team about Mei's disappearance. Once Rocket registered the time, he realised something that he hadn't noticed before: Tia disappeared at the exact same time that she reappeared two days later and Mei had disappeared at the exact same time a week later. What the hell was going on? Something that D'Jok suddenly said knocked Rocket out of his trance.

'...and she...' he began but drifted off as he seemed to have realised something. 'Tia...' he spoke and only then did Rocket realise that she was not with him but sitting on one of the benches. Tia looked up in hearing her name being called and found everyone staring before D'Jok continued. 'Do you know where she is?' he asked suddenly and Rocket looked at her with a shocked and worried expression. This wouldn't go down well... Tia looked at everyone in shock before bowing her head.

'No,' was her only reply and everyone looked at D'Jok who didn't seem convinced. This made Rocket on red alert as he appeared to be the only one who believed her. He knew she didn't know where Mei was but he believed she knew something else.

'Tia, we can all see that you're lying!' D'Jok exclaimed and for some reason Tia caught Rocket's eye before looking away and answering.

'I'm not,' was all she said and sent shivers down Rocket's back. He had heard those two words so many times the past week...

'Yeah right Tia! I can see in your eyes that you're lying! I'm not letting what happened to you happen to Mei...' D'Jok began but was cut off by Rocket who had snapped at those few words.

'What did you just say to her?' Rocket asked angrily. Not only had he accused her of lying but also insulted her. Rocket was having none of it.

'Oh c'mon Rocket! You think we haven't heard her waking up, screaming in the middle of the night and then muttering that she's not crazy? We've heard it all and c'mon, she does that every night and wakes up, not remembering a thing? If that's not crazy, I don't know what is,' D'Jok replied angrily and Rocket had to force himself not to jump. There were a lot of things going on in Tia's life right now, he knew; she wasn't crazy…at least he hoped not.

'Look D'Jok, I know you're upset but there's no need to take it out on her,' Rocket said, holding on by the skin of his teeth. He badly wanted to hit something; preferably D'Jok at this moment in time.

'I can't believe you're actually sticking up for her! Even after all she's lied to you about! Who's not to say she's only pretending to love you, unlike me and Mei?' he said and that was enough to make him snap. Rocket launched forward and attempted to punch him but was held back by his teammates well as D'Jok who was furious at Rocket's attempt. The two of them continued to struggle before Aarch stepped in.

'Ok you two, that's enough. Our main concern right now is finding Mei so no one is obliged to accuse anyone of something or launch at anyone, alright?' he ordered and Rocket and D'Jok stopped struggling before D'Jok fired one more death at Rocket and Tia before storming out of the room to look for his missing girlfriend. Rocket returned the death glare before going over to Tia (who staring blankly at the floor) once D'Jok was out of sight, he lifted her off the bench before embracing her.

'I believe you, Tia,' he promised her and she gripped him tighter as she realised he said he believed her, not in her. She was glad. She knew she couldn't believe in everyone else; they all thought she was crazy but maybe she could have faith in Rocket like he appeared to in her...

Tia sat in her bed that night, staring at Mei's. She had slept in with Rocket ever since she returned but she insisted on sleeping on her own this time to think and also see if she could remember that dream Rocket had insisted she was having. Nothing made any sense anymore. Maybe she was going crazy but crazy or not; she knew what was happening to Mei right now. She didn't know where she was but she did know what was happening to her but Tia couldn't tell anyone that, not even D'Jok or Rocket and that drove her crazy. Maybe she was going crazy after all and she could see by her appearance that she was at least halfway there. Her hair was ruffled and all over the place and she had bags under her eyes from the stress. She felt nervous and tense the whole time also. Ok, so three quarters of the way to crazy.

She continued to stare (even though she knew it wasn't helping her 'I'm not crazy' situation) when a thought suddenly occurred to her and she bolted upright.

'Shit,' she muttered before considering an idea and then deciding to do it, got out off the bed and sneaked off to the room...

Yuki was lying fast asleep in her bed, dreaming about her and Micro-Ice's trip to the park together earlier on in the day, before everything else had happened. She dreamed the happy memories which were disturbed when she felt some movement other than her on the bed. Her eyes shot open and she shot upright to find Tia, with, truthfully, a crazed expression on her face.

'Tia, you scared the hell out of me! What…' she yelled but was cut off when Tia spoke.

'You're next,' was the only thing she said and Yuki's eyes widened. What on earth was this girl on?

'What are you talking about?' she asked, slightly scared now for two reasons: 1. according to Tia she was 'next' whatever that meant and 2. This was not like Tia. This was not the other who had welcomed her to the Snow Kids with open arms not so long ago. Something was going with her and she wasn't telling her and it was obvious that it was driving her crazy. Yuki could only hope that the secret didn't go too far.

'Don't leave Micro-Ice's side,' was the only thing Tia replied but before Yuki could respond Tia got up and ran out of the room, leaving Yuki there staring after her with her mouth hanging open and a shocked look on her face. What was going on…?

'That was all she said?' Rocket questioned the next morning as Yuki told him what had happened the night before while sitting next to Micro-Ice whom Yuki had already told. Yuki nodded at his question and Rocket buried his face in his hands. Something was going on inside Tia's head but what?

'Maybe she is crazy,' Micro-Ice suggested and Yuki and Rocket looked at him but in seeing Rocket's glare, he immediately changed his statement. 'Or maybe she's just being protective?' he suggested, choosing his words carefully this time. Before Rocket could respond to that suggestion, Yuki spoke.

'You know, he's not completely wrong Rocket. Tia is going crazy. You didn't see her last night and I'm sure she looks nearly twice as crazy after having those dreams. Then she forgets them in the mornings? It doesn't make sense Rocket, nothing does. I think whatever's going on in her head is driving her crazy but we have to figure something out before she hurts herself or someone else,' Yuki pointed out and even Rocket had to admit she was right. There was something going on in Tia's head and it was driving her to the brink of insanity but not even Rocket could help her as she wouldn't talk to him or anyone else.

'Maybe you're right Yuki…' Rocket muttered, completely unaware of the person listening to their conversation on the other side of the door. 'Maybe you're right…'

Tia felt many emotions flow around her body when he said that. So it was true…everyone thought she was crazy, including Rocket. Tia gulped before hastily leaving the door she was listening into. Everyone thought she was crazy, she knew that for sure now and now that Rocket thought she was crazy, she had no hope at staying herself. Little did she know; she was even closer to the truth than she thought…

Rocket was lying on his bed, thinking about what to do with Tia when his phone rang. It was Dame Simbai.

'What's wrong?' he asked when he answered as he knew Dame Simbai wouldn't be calling him unless it was an emergency.

'Rocket, not time for questions just get down here NOW!' she ordered and Rocket wasted no time in hanging up, jumping off the bed and running down to see Simbai.

When Rocket was near her office, he could see his parents standing outside her office with very nervous expressions on their faces.

'What's going on?' he asked the second he was close enough.

'No time for that Rocket just get in there,' his Dad ordered and shoved his son into the office where Rocket was faced with his worst nightmare. At first, he was dead confused; that is until he saw his girlfriend lying on the bed, tense and nervous, clinging on to the sides for dear life and continuously muttering 'I'm not crazy' just like she had every time after the nightmare but this was different. But that's not what made Rocket's heart twist in agony. What made Rocket's heart twisted in pain was the injury she had suffered (or whatever happened to her) which was at her eyes which were red raw and it seemed like someone had tried to claw them out or something. Rocket that that sight would haunt him forever.

Rocket was frozen to the spot and remained there; staring at her as his parents went over to watch her while Simbai came over to him.

'What happened?' Rocket managed to stutter out. This wasn't his girlfriend; it couldn't be, it just couldn't…

'I'm sorry Rocket but the injuries on her face, around the eyes were self-harm. Tia tried to claw her eyes out,' she informed him, fear obvious in her voice and he presumed she must have got an awful shock when she saw what she had to treat. This news did not go down well with Rocket. Before he could reply though, she continued. 'Rocket, this is only a solution and it's the only thing that explains what could have caused her to do this but…we think she might schizophrenic.'

D'Jok never slept a wink. All he could think about was Mei; was she ok? Where was she? Would he ever see her again? Eventually, he had tried to do something, anything to stop him thinking bad things but he had given up after trying multiple things as his mind still began to wonder Mei; his one true love, his everything, his life. He couldn't be without her. Getting more nervous thinking about her safety, he began to pace but that only made it worse. Suddenly, when he turned around, he bumped into something and noticed it was figure. When he looked up to see who, he was filled with new hope as he knew that if anyone had any chance of finding her, it was him.

'Dad…'


	6. The Pirate, Crazy Girl and Runaway

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Previously: **_Do you know where she is...I believe you…you're next…maybe she is crazy…she might be schizophrenic…Dad._

Rocket froze to the spot. At that exact moment, he felt his world collapse around him. He couldn't believe it; he just wouldn't. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

'But could she really get it that quick? I thought it took place over a long period of time?' He refused to let it be true. Yes, Tia wasn't herself lately but for some reason, he knew that it wasn't a mental disorder. It had come on too suddenly and something just didn't feel right but he couldn't figure out what. What else could've caused to try and claw her eyes out? Rocket winced at the thought. That would haunt him forever.

'I know that but there are not many other solutions. She tried to claw her eyes out Rocket; she's either crazy or schizophrenic. I still have to do some tests but I need her to relax first…' At that point, Rocket jumped in, confident that Tia would trust him enough to relax but he was ever so wrong.

'I'll talk to her, she'll listen to me…' he rushed out and moved a foot towards her before Simbai grabbed his arm to stop him. Rocket had to admit, he was very annoyed by this. He just needed go to her and be there for her, she needed him now more than ever.

'Rocket, you of all people have to leave her alone,' she said firmly and Rocket turned back to her. He was the perfect (and probably only) person who could help her but before he could ask why, Simbai continued. 'Rocket, after I got off the phone to you, I told her you were coming…she screamed at me saying she didn't need you and that she hated you and never wanted to see you again. She's unstable enough as it is, we can't risk anything Rocket, I'm sorry.' Rocket only stood there, shocked. What could he have done to turn her against him? Why did she hate him? He was the only person left who believed her, she knew that. At least he thought she did.

'But…I get that she doesn't want me but I can't do nothing,' he explained to Simbai hopefully. He had to be there for her in some way, whether she wanted him or not. Thankfully, Simbai nodded showing that she understood.

'I'll see what I can do.'

'Dad…what are you doing here?' D'Jok asked his father. Honestly, he was happy to see him especially under the circumstances and also that he didn't get to see him that often which also kind of made him sad that his Dad probably only came because, knowing him, he had heard of Mei's disappearance and came to help his son. Actually, as D'Jok thought that through, he was happy. His Dad cared, that was obvious.

'I heard about Mei's disappearance…' D'Jok couldn't help but smile. He knew his father so well. '…and I came to see what you can tell me so we can find her.' He desperately wanted to help his son as he knew he loved Mei dearly and he didn't want what happened to his wife to happen to D'Jok and Mei. He didn't want his son to go through that pain. Also, he didn't want to see Mei go through what Tia was going through. That was the first thing he was faced with when he came to the Academy. In fact, he had found Tia and convinced her to stop and now that poor girl was lying in the infirmary, scared to death of everything and trusting no one but he could feel that she trusted him a small bit but why, he had no clue even if he knew she could trust him.

'Ok, here's what has happened so far…' D'Jok began, knocking Sonny out of his thoughts and his son told his father everything what had happened including the incident with Tia. Sonny knew that what had happened with Tia was strange, very strange and it wasn't long until he had a better idea of the situation than his son had. '…and that's it,' D'Jok finished but it was far from it. D'Jok had no idea what was going on in the infirmary at that moment in time and the person's life his father could've possibly saved so he did not know everything but Sonny was closer than he thought.

'Don't blame Tia D'Jok…she doesn't know where Mei is. She might know something but there's a reason she's not telling but she doesn't know she is.' Sonny definitely believed that but D'Jok wasn't so sure, more because his father instantly knew that. 'Call it gut instinct D'Jok and you may not know this yet but I saved Tia from herself not too long ago,' he said and D'Jok gave him a confused look before he continued. 'I found Tia trying to claw her eyes out. Something's going on in that girl's head but there's something eating her away because she can't tell anyone but I also think she doesn't know half of it herself. Until we figure what's happening in her head Simbai only has one solution which is that she's schizophrenic but I don't buy it. These two disappearances are connected, I can feel it.' Sonny knew he was right but with Tia unstable, Mei gone missing and Yuki completely clueless as well as everyone else, how did he find out exactly what was going on? D'Jok was also lost in his own thoughts. Tia tried to claw her eyes out…this made him feel guilty about snapping at her but he never thought she would do something like that and if what his dad was right and the two disappearances were connected, it was possible that if and when Mei returned, the same could happen to her but D'Jok couldn't bear that. He had to keep her safe. Suddenly, his Dad stood up from the bed they were sitting on. 'Ok, the rest of the Pirates and I are going to go to see if we can find any leads…'

'I'm coming with,' D'Jok said stubbornly and stood up also but before Sonny could argue back, D'Jok continued. 'Dad, I have to. It's Mei…' he said pleadingly and Sonny couldn't refuse him so he nodded and then father and son went off to find D'Jok's missing girlfriend…

Rocket and Simbai watched as Tia went under the huge machine to get her brain scan done. Thankfully, her parents had come and had managed to calm her down a bit so she could agree to the scan but she almost changed her mind when she saw Rocket who was almost as nervous as Tia was but Tia didn't know this as she still refused to speak to him and yelled at him when she just a glimpse of him so he was having to hide from her all the time. She was very unstable so Rocket knew she couldn't cope with screaming at him all the time for whatever reason and in fact, she had no idea he was watching her right now and her loving boyfriend preferred to keep it that way. If ever she wanted him though, he was there for her; he always was. Finally, the scan appeared on the screen and Simbai began to examine it. After a few minutes, Rocket couldn't take it anymore.

'Is she schizophrenic?' he asked nervously but Simbai didn't answer straight away but she continued to stare at the scan, a look of confusion on her face but soon, Rocket couldn't take it anymore. 'DAME SIMBAI! IS SHE SCHIZOPHRENIC?' Rocket had to admit that he was surprised himself at the sudden outburst but he needed to know so he could look after his white rose. He couldn't bear to see her do something to herself like she already did or something worse. Finally, after overcoming her shock at his outburst, she answered.

'No, she's not schizophrenic…' she said almost in a whisper and Rocket didn't know how to feel. He was relieved that she wasn't schizophrenic but there was only one other solution to explain what's been going on.

'So she's crazy,' he stated but deep down he wasn't sure if it was true. He knew something was going on in her head and maybe that could be driving her crazy but Rocket could see something wasn't right at all. Little did he know, he was closer to the truth than he ever could've imagined.

'Nope, she's not crazy either,' Simbai said firmly and Rocket realised his head in shock. So, she wasn't schizophrenic and she wasn't crazy…what other solution was there? Rocket took a glance at the scan but he couldn't see anything wrong, he wasn't a doctor after all, until Simbai spoke in seeing his confusion. 'She's not schizophrenic and she's not crazy either but…I don't know how or what or even how to say this but…but it appears that there is something _in_ her brain causing her to act like this.' At that moment, Rocket's eyebrows reached his hairline. Something _in_ her brain? That just didn't make sense.

'What do you mean _in_ her brain?'

D'Jok and Sonny continued to wonder around. They were close to something; both of them could feel that but what? When they arrived on the Pirate ship Artie had called them over and showed them a video of Tia, just moments before she vanished and then he showed them one of Mei in the exact same here and the camera switching off at exactly the same time before turning back on a few seconds later and no Mei and no Tia. Something weird was going on there and despite not wanting his son to come, D'Jok wouldn't give up and Sonny reluctantly allowed him to go with him to the scene of where they presumed the girls had disappeared. That was where they were at that moment, searching for any clues that can show what happened to the girls. They were definitely connected; they knew that for certain now. But why the girls? What could possibly have Tia going crazy? Where was Mei? Would she return? If she did, would what happened to Tia happen to her? They may have discovered the answer to one question but there were still many others to be answered.

As they reached a corner, when they turned they saw an alleyway just a short road down and they slowly approached it, Sonny noting where they were camera was (straight across from them) so they knew they were_ very_ close to something now. Reaching the entrance to the alleyway, Sonny acted on instinct and put his arm out to stop D'Jok from continuing and with a stern look from his father, D'Jok stopped and stayed where he was while his father slowly approached the entrance to the alleyway and peeked round. D'Jok suddenly saw his father's eyebrows reach his eyebrows in shock but before he could ask him, Sonny spoke.

'Tia!'

**Just a quick notice to mei-and-d'jok and all the other Mei x D'Jok fans, originally the next chapter was supposed to be all Mei x D'Jok but this chapter was becoming too long and I had to shorten it but the chapter after the next will be all Mei x D'Jok. Sorry again, I'll make sure it's worth the wait!**


	7. Remembrances and the Return

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Previously: **_Rocket, you off all people have to leave her alone…Dad, what are you doing here…No, she's not schizophrenic…what do you mean there's something in her brain…Tia…_

Sonny, D'Jok and the rest of the Pirates were back on the Pirate ship with Tia. Right now, they were trying to get some answers out of her but she wouldn't seem to co-operate. D'Jok had called Rocket as soon as they were safe on the Pirate ship and Rocket had informed them that Simbai had left her for two minutes and then when she came back, Tia was gone. At least now he knew she was safe. Tia hadn't spoken a word since she saw them and right now, she was on a chair in a room with Sonny, Artie, Corso and D'Jok but she never looked one of them in the eye while they others in the room tried not to eye hers mysteriously because of the damage she has caused to herself. Finally, Sonny spoke.

'Tia...why did you runaway? Why did u go there? We need to know Tia, it may be the only way of saving Mei!' he said firmly and Tia looked up at him with her scarred eyes. If there was anyone she had faith in right now, it was Sonny Blackbones.

'Same reason you were. I came here looking for Mei. I retraced my steps to where I could remember I was which was at the entrance to the alleyway but up until I woke up there again, it's all blank. I can't remember anything and I went back to see if I could find anything to jog my memory and give me more on what happened to Mei but I still don't know! I ran away because no one would've let me go in the first place.' In those moments, Sonny saw something in Tia he never realised before. All her life she wanted someone to believe in her and that person was Rocket but he could tell Rocket had done something to set her off; he could tell she hated him but why? He could also tell she was putting faith in him and he was going to make sure he didn't break that, she was too unstable for that.

'Tia...Rocket does care,' he spoke suddenly and everyone including Tia looked at him. Tia didn't know what to say. Rocket didn't love her anymore, he didn't want some psycho girl for a girlfriend, he just thought she was crazy like everyone else did...except for Sonny.

'He just thinks I'm crazy! I heard him say it with my own ears! Ask what he was saying with Micro-Ice and Yuki!' she said angrily but Sonny could see the flicker of a tear in her eye. Suddenly, D'Jok spoke.

'I know its hard people but we do need to find Mei!' D'Jok pushed, wanting to find his girlfriend safe and sound and soon. As D'Jok thought this, a thought came to Sonny.

'Tia...can u remember anything at all?' Unfortunately she shook her head. 'Tia...do u know what's going on right now with Mei?' he asked and Tia looked away, silently refusing to answer. 'Tia...!'

'I don't know where she is and I can only see flashes of whatever happened to me and might be happening to her. It's not enough to tell u anything or to realise what's going on,' she said firmly but Sonny saw more behind it.

'Tell us Tia, we can help you. You can trust me.' Tia bit on her bottom lip as he said this. She couldn't tell him aloud but... Tia looked around her and saw a paper and pen on the opposite side of the table and she grabbed them before beginning to write something. Sonny watched as she finished and passed it over to him. It read:

'I do trust you but I can't tell you.' Sonny stared at it before thinking of a reply and writing it down then passed the sheet back to Tia.

'Why can't you tell us?' Tia looked up at him when she read this as she knew where this conversation was going to go and she didn't want to go there. Reluctantly, she wrote down the truth. She could trust Sonny.

'I don't know, I swear. I know what'll happen if I say it aloud. I know they'll do it!' Sonny gazed at that in shock. So many questions zoomed through his head as he read that but he wrote down the first that came to mind.

Who's 'they'?' was what he asked but Tia didn't know if she could tell him. She looked up at him and he nodded to her encouragingly before she wrote down her answer and shoved it towards him in a way so no one else could see what she had written. What Sonny saw shocked him.

'The voices in my head. They can hear me and I can hear them.' Before Sonny even had a chance to register it completely, Tia spoke.

'I'm not hallucinating. They're real, I know they are. I'm not crazy.' she said for the hundreth time in god knows how long. 'Tell me u believe me,' she pleaded and Sonny nodded, faith burning in his eyes. 'Promise me you won't tell anyone, not even Rocket?' Sonny nodded to her request and then they both left the conversation at that while D'Jok looked on, jealousy burning through him. He had never seen the faith and admiration burn in his eyes the way he was looking at Tia right now. That girl was crazy, why? Suddenly, Bennett entered the room.

'Sonny, I think you would want to see this and you too Tia,' he said and they followed Bennett and despite not being told to, D'Jok and the others followed to. Before anyone could ask, Bennett sat at a huge computer screen, typed in something and then the sight of the alleyway appeared. 'Take note of the time and date,' and they did. Tia recognised the date, it was the day she vanished, but before she could register the time, she suddenly saw herself appear on the screen before the screen went black for two seconds and when it reappeared, she was gone. Tia's memory began to joggle before a new taping appeared on the screen. Once again, it was the alleyway and the screen went black once again for two seconds before reappearing Tia saw herself, once again, but she lying unconscious on the ground. 'Exactly 48 hours later,' Bennett informed them.

'What the...?' D'Jok muttered but was stopped when another clip appeared. It was the same clip of the alleyway but within a few seconds, someone appeared but it wasn't Tia... 'Mei...' D'Jok and Tia couldn't believe it and Sonny knew he was right; the two disappearances were definitely connected. Suddenly, the screen went black for two seconds and when it reappeared, Mei was gone. Everyone continued to stare before Bennett spoke.

'If Mei's disappearance is a repeat of Tia's then Mei should be reappearing there in exactly ten minutes.' Even after that no one spoke until Sonny announced his plan.

'Bennett, can you and Artie hack into the system so we'll have live view?' The two of them nodded to this request. 'Then we just sit and wait.' Everyone sat there in silence but when Sonny looked around him, he saw something he didn't like to see. 'Are you alright Tia?' he asked and Tia knocked out of her trance. She was very pale and she seemed to be in deep thought but there was fear behind it which Sonny never failed to notice.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' she said and stood up only to collapse and would've fallen to the floor if D'Jok hadn't have caught her halfway and lifted her back on to the chair. Sonny rushed over to her and in the second he kneeled down in front of her she seemed to have come around but still kept her eyes closed.

'Tia...why are you scared?' he could tell she was and he was right. Tia was terrified. She took a few deep breaths before telling them.

'I remember.' At that moment, all eyes in the room were on her an everyone, especially Sonny, were listening intensely. 'Not everything but more. I remember...machines. Lots of them, they were huge. I could just about see them in the dark room I was in. I wanted to escape but...' her voice and breathing was beginning to get unstable at this point. '...I couldn't because I was strapped into some chair and soon a figure appeared but before I could make it out, I...' Tia stopped then, tears silently rolling down her eyes and she seemed in shock.

'Tia...what happened?' Sonny pushed as he needed to know in order to protect Tia and save Mei. What Tia replied next and her reaction was far from what he wanted.

'No...' she muttered, tears falling fast faster and harder but she continued before Sonny could say anything. 'Please don't...NO!' she yelped and curled herself up in a ball on the seat, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. 'NO please!' she yelled again and Sonny tried to calm her but she continued. 'Please don't!' She began to cry harder before she started screaming again, with Sonny still trying to grab her attention and calm her down. 'Make it stop! Make it STOP!' she demanded urgently, crying hard and at this point, everyone was freaked as Sonny continued to try and calm her down.

'Tia, look at me! Look at me Tia!' he demanded, shaking her slightly so he could grab her attention and thankfully, he finally and she looked up, tears pouring down her cheeks and fear filling her face. Sonny could nearly guess it was the 'voices' that set her off. 'Tia, do you trust me?' Tia nodded immediately, knowing she could always trust him even in a crazy time. 'Then I also need you to trust Artie.' Sonny didn't know why he was putting Artie in charge of her, it just felt right and he always went with his instincts even if Artie was unsure about it since she wasn't herself at all. 'He'll look after you Tia, I swear no harm will come to you!' he promised her and the tears slowly began to fall slower.

'Do you promise?' she asked and he nodded, unsure as to how he would keep her safe but confident that he would do all he could. Tia nodded back to show that she believed him and he gestured for Artie to take her while he went over to Bennett. Artie just reached out his hand and Tia looked at him before slowly giving him her shaky hand and letting him lead her away.

'Are we through yet?' Sonny asked Bennett as he tried to focus on his job now and worry about Tia later and thankfully, everyone else in the room agreed to this and were now focusing on the few minutes they had left until they found Mei.

'Yup! Now all that's left to do is wait.'

They sat there impatiently while they waited for the time to pass when finally, it was time and they were all standing round the computer screen. Nothing happened for a few moments until the screen suddenly went black and everyone held their breath when finally it reappeared...with Mei unconscious...

**Yes people, the next chapter will definitely be ALL Mei x D'Jok, sorry for the wait. I won't be able to get it up immediately as I have some other stories to attend to but I'll do my best and with any luck, I'll aim for it being up by Friday at the latest! I will do my best to update this story often but I won't be able to manage every day! Once or twice a week if it's possible! Thanks guys!**


	8. Envious Games and Love for Mei and D'Jok

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**FINALLY! The Mei x D'Jok is up! Sorry it's up late Friday, I had taken ill yesterday and my brain was still not right this morning and I had nothing written until like, 2 o'clock so I'm sorry for the wait! I hope you guys like it and I hope it was worth the wait!**

**Previously: **_Why did you runaway…to find Mei…Rocket does care…The voices in my head…Mei should be reappearing there in exactly ten minutes…I remember…NO...MAKE IT STOP…I also need you to trust Artie…with Mei unconscious…_

D'Jok stared at Mei sleeping peacefully whilst he was sitting on a stool next to the bed. When an unconscious Mei suddenly appeared, some of the Pirates ran out and got her and took her back to the Pirate ship. After on-board doctor had a look at her, D'Jok was finally allowed to see her but D'Jok was surprised at himself for falling into shock when he saw her sleeping peacefully as, he hadn't realised it until he saw her, he was expecting Mei to be like Tia in the way that her eyes would be red raw and she would seem tense and nervous. Instead though, her eyes were perfect and her body showed no sign if any tension. Then D'Jok realised that no one, not even Rocket, had seen Tia when she was unconscious so D'Jok still prepared himself for the worst. She could be fine right now but the gone crazy the next minute she woke up. Suddenly, he felt a shadow over him making him jump but when he turned and saw who it was, he relaxed.

'Dad…' he muttered, breathless from the shock he had received. His Dad really had to stop doing that; he was going to give his own son a heart attack!

'I just came to see how Mei was,' he admitted but it didn't take a genius to take in how she was since she was still unconscious. D'Jok just sighed before turning back around to her and clutching her hand while Sonny looked on at his son and possible future daughter-in-law. It was not a sight he liked seeing and knowing that there was a high possibility of Mei turning out like Tia since the two disappearances were linked. However, knowing this made both Sonny and D'Jok think that they had a chance of preventing it from happening. Unfortunately, it was too late for Tia. Both of them continued to gaze at Mei's sleeping form but hours passed and she still had not awakened. It was beginning to get late and D'Jok felt his eyelids beginning to drop (Sonny was used to that kind of thing and being Pirate chief, he had to be awake almost 24/7) but he refused to sleep in case Mei woke up and needed him. However, with what happened suddenly, D'Jok knew he was going to have trouble sleeping ever again…

'No…' Mei suddenly pined, curling up in a ball and Sonny knew what was going on. The exact same thing happened with Tia when she returned and when she freaked out earlier. Mei was having a nightmare, more than likely about what had happened to her. 'Please don't…don't hurt him,' she pleaded again and D'Jok gently began to shake her, trying to wake her up. He didn't like where this was going. 'Please…NO!' she screamed more fearfully and D'Jok began to shake her harder.

'Come on Mei, wake up!' he cried and Mei suddenly sprang up, sweat pouring down her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. D'Jok wasted no time and sat up on the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulder to let her know he was there; not wanting to frighten her after having a nightmare.

'D'Jok…' she gasped out as she finally realised where she was. 'D'Jok…' she gasped out again, placing her hand on his cheek and he placed his hand on top and rubbed it gently, assuring her that he really was there. 'Oh D'Jok!' she cried out before wrapping her arms around him and crying into his shoulder. D'Jok acted on his instincts of being a good boyfriend and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back for comfort as well as kissing her forehead. He also gave his father a look and he took the hint, knowing the moment was not to be disturbed and that he just wanted some alone time with his upset girlfriend. But when they were alone, they never spoke or at least not for a while. Mei just sat there in his arms, enjoying the small comfort D'Jok was giving her especially after the nightmare she had just had; both the dream and the reality. They stayed like that for a long time but eventually, D'Jok just couldn't take it anymore.

'Hey…are you ok?' he asked worriedly. He hated seeing his beauty in pain. He would rather throw himself off a bridge but she needed him now and he was here for her…always. She looked up at him before looking down again just before she answered.

'I sort of am I guess…' she responded but twisted her head up to him for the last part. '…now that you're here,' she said earnestly before she leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth but D'Jok was unsatisfied and lifted her chin with two fingers before gently pressing his lips to hers. D'Jok almost melted at the softness and warmth of her lips, it felt so good…no, amazing to kiss her again. He had gone so long without it. However, they both ran out of breath much too soon but had to unfortunately breakaway. Then Mei cuddled deeper into his arms and he brought her closer to his chest so he could smell the sweet lavender smell that lingerie in her hair. That smell always made D'Jok peaceful, it helped him to relax but for the first time ever, it didn't work. He still knew the possible consequences they might have to face but he didn't want that to happen, he couldn't let it happen to her especially after seeing Rocket and Tia go through so much pain. Thinking of Tia gave D'Jok shivers. He envied her right now for so many reasons but the reason he shivered was because of the injuries she caused herself…he couldn't, or more wouldn't, let that happen to his darling Mei. He couldn't live with himself if he did allow that to happen to her especially since he could see the pain in Rocket's eyes. He didn't want to feel that. 'D'Jok…' Mei suddenly spoke and looked up at him with a worried expression.

'What's wrong?' he asked as Mei shifted round so she could face him and D'Jok sat up more in the bed. He didn't like the expression on her face but he was going to dislike the question even more…

'Where's Tia? Is she ok?' she asked worriedly and D'Jok bowed his head. She was far from it. Mei saw him biting on his bottom lip and she knew D'Jok well enough to know that something seriously wrong had happened. 'D'Jok, what happened?' she asked worriedly but D'Jok still silently refused to answer. 'D'JOK!' she roared at him, only concerned for her best friends well fare and D'Jok reluctantly told her, not wanting to do a Rocket and keep things from her. At least then she wouldn't go crazy like Rocket drove Tia to doing.

'Ok, she's fine but…not completely mentally at least,' he admitted to her, confusing Mei completely. So…she was fine but not fine? What the hell did that mean?

'What do you mean that?' she questioned and eyed him suspiciously, looking for hint into what he was thinking but the only thing she could see was envy, for whatever reason he was envious of Tia.

'What I mean is…when Tia came back, you know yourself she wasn't herself but it was a lot worse than we thought originally. We originally thought she was schizophrenic but Rocket wasn't allowed to tell me what really is going on. She's not crazy and she's not schizophrenic but…' D'Jok came to a halt since he wasn't really sure how to say it to her. The only reason he cared was because Tia was Mei's best friend and he didn't want to hurt Mei but she was determined to know.

'But what? What happened to her? Why would you think she's schizophrenic?' she asked worriedly, seeing a new feeling in D'Jok's eyes which was worry. Whether it was for her or for Tia, she didn't know.

'We thought that because…she tried to claw her eyes out. My Dad found her,' he admitted to her and turned around to see her staring at him with wide eyes and a scared expression on her face.

'What…' Mei stuttered out, tears streaming down her cheeks once again. If that happened to Tia, Mei almost knew for certain it would happen to her. Why would they not let it happen to her? Tia was stronger; despite what Tia herself may think. Yes, Mei had comforted her throughout the second cup when Rocket did a runner but deep down, Mei knew she would have acted exactly the same if it were D'Jok instead of Rocket even though Tia may think that she would've pulled out of it. But boy was that not the case. 'D'Jok…what if that happens to me? What if I go crazy and try to claw my eyes out? What if…' she was cut off by D'Jok hushing her and locking her face in his hands.

'That is not going to happen to you Mei, do you hear me? I won't allow it! We didn't know it would happen with Tia but since it did we now know so we can save you from it! It won't happen Mei, I promise! I swear that I'll protect you,' he promised her, placing his forehead on hers before Mei burst into even more tears so all D'Jok could do was hold her close, hushing her while stroking her hair and telling her he loved her as he slowly rocked her, hoping that would calm her down. It didn't for a while, for a long while but finally, she relaxed but D'Jok wasn't going to risk her falling asleep just yet when he wanted answers. 'Mei…' he began, easily setting her off his lap and she gave him a confused look. 'What happened? I need to know what Tia doesn't know or didn't tell us. We knew the disappearances are connected Mei and with Tia unstable you're our only hope. Please tell us something,' D'Jok pleaded with her. It was true. Mei was their only hope. Tia was too unstable to speak, let alone trust. But D'Jok knew that his father knew what to believe so he believed what he did, even if he didn't believe a thing that Tia said, he believed his father. So that left Mei. If they had any chance of saving Tia from the brink of a possible suicide, saving Mei from going crazy and saving Yuki from whatever Tia said she was next for (which D'Jok believed because his Dad believed), they needed Mei to speak up since Tia was crazy and Yuki had no idea what was going on.

'D'Jok, I…' Mei began but D'Jok could tell he wasn't going to get what he needed to know unless he got his point across to her. In order to keep her safe, he had to get the information he needed out of her and he couldn't do that if she didn't co-operate.

'Tell me Mei. The only hope we have of keeping Yuki safe being kidnapped , you safe from going crazy and Tia safe from doing more damage, or worse, to herself than we need you to tell us what you know. Please. You know it's the right thing to do,' he pleaded with her which left Mei pondering on what to do. She had to tell him and yet she couldn't. She looked away from his stare for a few moments for in close consideration before closing her eyes, making a decision and meeting his gaze once again.

'Ok…' she took a deep breath before starting the explanation, aware of her limitations and not prepared to push it. 'A room…pitch black…machines…a chair…I was strapped into it…' D'Jok tried his best not to go crazy. She was just repeating what Tia said but he let her continue, praying she would come up with something new. '…a figure…a man…' now they were getting somewhere. '…erm…white hair…green eyes I think…that's the best description I could get…erm…No!' she screamed, panicking. 'That's it,' she replied hurriedly and looked away again, convincing D'Jok that it was far from _it_. There was more to tell but she wasn't telling.

'No it's not. Mei, what's stopping you from telling the rest?' he asked with deep concern. At least if he knew what was stopping her, he could tell his father what so he would leave Mei be and get to Tia again since she was clearly hiding more than Mei was and if Mei had a good reason than Tia had to speak. However, her response was not what he was expecting.

'You,' was her simple reply sending D'Jok into shock before she continued. 'Don't question, just trust me,' she pleaded and not being able to respond because he was in shock, D'Jok just nodded before embracing her. '_What the hell is going on?_' he wondered, not even considering the idea of Tia having to give an explanation now because he had a feeling that why she was speaking was somehow connected to Mei's reason. But in what way? He decided to confront Rocket about it at a later date but right now, Mei needed him.

'Mei…' D'Jok began to say and she looked up at him only to feel his lips gently attached themselves to hers, slightly afraid he would hurt her but after a few moments of passionate kissing; that fear was wiped away by his love for her as the kiss grew more and more passionate as D'Jok slowly pushed her down on the bed but just as he was about to slide his hands under her shirt, she broke away.

'D'Jok, we're on a Pirate ship,' she said, showing firmly in her eyes that she was not having sex with him even though he silently pleaded with her. Heaving a heavy sigh, D'Jok got off her and let her sit up, completely unaware of the real reason she was saying no. Suddenly, D'Jok lifted his hand and placed it on her soft cheek leaving her breathless.

'I love you,' he whispered lovingly, pressing his forehead onto hers making tears flow to the surface of Mei's eyes.

'I love you too,' she replied before not being able to resist and leaned in, locking her lips with his as she realised that even though reality was like a nightmare, her dream was like heaven as long as he was there…

**Just a quick note that since Mei is back, there will be a lot more Mei x D'Jok moments! That I can promise you!**


	9. The Angel Returns and The Boys Unite

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Previously: **_Come on, wake up…are you ok…where's Tia…she's fine but not mentally at least…That is not going to happen to you…white hair…green eyes I think…I love you…_

'How are you feeling?' Artie asked Tia as he sat down next down next to her and handed her a cup of tea to try and relax. She had just gone through quite an ordeal, she needed to get away from everything for a while, Artie knew so he was more than happy to help her.

'I'm fine Artie thanks,' she muttered and Artie raised an eyebrow at her which even he knew was a risk because she was so unstable and he knew the smallest thing would set her off. Thankfully though, she didn't lose it but she did give him an angry look. 'I'm fine,' she said firmly and Artie looked away, not wanting to push it with her. He didn't really know how to be with her since she was mentally unstable. He didn't her to do anything drastic like claw her eyes out again. 'Can I trust you? Like, really trust you? Like I trust Sonny?' Tia asked questionly. She trusted Sonny and he had told her to trust Artie but where the extent of that trust was to go, she didn't know but she wanted to find out.

'Of course you can Tia! You need people you can trust and I am one of those people, I promise you!' he told her earnestly before Tia questioned him further, wanting to know the depth of the trust.

'Then, as one of those people, if I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?' she asked him and he nodded. 'Do you think I'm crazy?' she asked and Artie didn't hesitate in responding.

'No. I don't know what I think but I know you're not crazy!' he promised her before he flashed her a smile for reassurance. Tia gazed at him at him intently until something happened that neither of them had expected. Tia suddenly snapped out of her gaze and leaned up and, much to his shock she kissed him. Not a small peck on the lips, no; she continued to kiss him, getting as close to his body as she possibly could and wrapping her arms around him, ignoring his struggles. She wanted someone who wouldn't get hurt, she just someone she could lie to without feeling immense guilt, she wanted someone who didn't think she was crazy but most of all, she just wanted someone. Artie was the perfect someone; he was there at that moment when she felt lonely and he was the youngest Pirate there (despite wanting someone she definitely wouldn't have tried it on with any of the other Pirates) and he also believed in her and understood what she was going through. He also wouldn't get hurt if there were any affectionate moments between them so even though she knew it was so wrong, it was right at that moment. However, Artie failed to notice what was going through her mind and continued to struggle and finally managed to breakaway just as Tia slid her hands under his shirt.

'Tia, stop! You know this is wrong!' he tried to tell her without hurting her feelings and unstable mind but she refused to listen as she kissed down his neck. 'Tia, you're with Rocket! He loves you, don't do this to him!' he pleaded with her again but wasn't expecting the answer she gave him.

'He doesn't love me!' she said simply before continuing to kiss his neck. Artie wasn't expecting that at all.

'What would make you think that?' he asked, trying to take the subject away from their intimate moment which he thought worked when she stopped kissing sat directly in front of him, their eyes meeting.

'He thinks I'm crazy. I heard him say it with my own ears. He thinks I'm crazy just like everyone else does except for Sonny...and you,' at this last statement, she wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned up to kiss him again but he grabbed her hands and pushed her away making her give him a funny look.

'Tia, this is wrong! You know that! You're life is with Rocket, you know that! It would never work out between us, not with me being a Pirate and all! Rocket's much better for you and you need to talk to him because if you're angry at him in the position you're in now...it's hard on him Tia, you don't have to be a genius to figure that out. Talk to him, hear what he has say. You may be surprised. But right here and now Tia is wrong. Nothing can happen,' he told her gently but with a sharpness that made her listen intently. Suddenly, Artie began to panic when he saw tears on the surface of Tia's eyes.

'I can't go back to him. I can't lie to him again,' Tia murmured making Artie both curious and worried but before he could question what Tia meant by this statement, Bennett came in.

'Just to let you know kiddos that we'll be landing in two!' he said before the twosomes to collect their thoughts as well as leave Tia with a tough decision...

'Please God let her be alright…' Rocket muttered, pacing around the infirmary when he had received news that the Pirates would soon arrive with both Tia and Mei. Nothing made any sense, but Rocket was too worried about Tia to try and resolve something to make sense of it all. All he wanted was to hold the girl he loved in his arms and tell her how much he loved her and that everything was going to be ok. He wouldn't abandon her again; he's done that enough to her through this tough time. She needed him and her refusing that proved it to him that she did and he knew for a fact he needed her and he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers again. Just as he had finished thinking, the doors suddenly opened revealing the Pirates along with D'Jok and Mei but more importantly his angel, standing in the middle of them all. 'Tia,' he sighed with relief before forgetting that Tia was supposed to be hating him and even despite everyone around, he couldn't help himself as he ran over and hugged her close, silently swearing to never let go. Tia didn't know how to react; she wasn't sure how she felt about him at that time either. She didn't push him away but she took a quick glance over to Artie who nodded to her encouragingly and she looked away before wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck. Even she had to admit that she had struggled without him there but she had convinced herself that he didn't love her and she didn't need him. She was beginning to doubt both acquisitions now… Simbai speaking broke them apart.

'Sorry people but I would really like to get some tests done on the girls, just to make sure they're ok,' she said firmly and Rocket let Tia go but she grabbed on to his arm, not wanting him to go anywhere without her. In seeing this and how nervous Mei looked while also clinging on to a nervous D'Jok, she agreed to let the boyfriends stay with them but everyone else was to leave. Finally, they were alone.

Simbai was busy rubbing cream into Tia's red raw injuries around her eyes. She had flinched a few times and it twisted Rocket's heart in agony. He hated seeing her in just the slightest bit of pain. Mei had finished all her tests (except for the scan which only Simbai and Rocket knew she had to get done) so once Simbai had finished with her, D'Jok was allowed over to comfort Mei who was getting tenser by the minute but was starting to relax now that D'Jok had his arms around her. Rocket ignored that though and focused on Tia and when Simbai was finished with her, she left the couples alone to relax. Rocket was instantly next to Tia but only took her hands in his, now remembering Tia's previous actions towards him but she surprisingly never pushed him away, much to his relief.

'Rocket…' she spoke suddenly. 'Can I talk to you for a second?' she asked, eyeing him pleadingly and Rocket could only nod to these eyes. He took her hand and led her over to the opposite side of the room so they could talk in private. Mei and D'Jok watched them carefully before D'Jok began to question her if she was alright, again and again. 'What's wrong Tia?' Rocket asked as they sat down and looked at her worriedly. She bit on her bottom lip showing that she was nervous before speaking.

'Rocket…I want you to tell me the truth,' she told him firmly and he nodded. 'Do you think I'm crazy?' she asked and Rocket hesitated for a second. He looked at her nervously and knowing that she wanted the truth, that's what he gave her.

'I did. But I know now Tia that something's going on in your head and I will stay with you always until we solve it, ok? All I want is for you to be happy Tia and I won't rest until you are. I'm here, that's all that matters,' he assured her and she felt tears coming to her eyes but tried to blink them away because she had cried enough already and it also stung because of the cuts.

'Do you promise?' she asked, her voice breaking but in seeing this, Rocket couldn't speak himself so he just nodded and kissed her forehead just as Dame Simbai came in.

'Ok…Mei, you're ok to go but there is one more tests I need to do but that can wait until tomorrow,' Mei and D'Jok both sighed with relief as D'Jok kissed her forehead before easily setting her down off the bed and leading her out the door. 'But Tia, I need you to stay here,' she said firmly, not risking a highly unstable teen to go out in public where she could lose it any second. It was too risky and she didn't want Tia to hurt herself more or anyone else. Tia thought differently however.

'But…' she began but Rocket knew the protest she was about to give and he didn't agree with it because he was thinking exactly the same way as Simbai was.

'Tia, please…' he begged and she turned to him. 'For me,' he pleaded again and Tia just nodded, not wanting to hurt more than she already did. She hadn't forgiven him yet, not completely but she did realise that she did need him if she was ever going to recover in some way from this nightmare. Rocket sighed with relief but before he could do anything she spoke.

'Will you stay with me?' she asked but was practically begging. Rocket could only look at her, tears beginning to reach his eyes as he slowly nodded and kissed her forehead, never wanting to let her go.

'Of course,' he whispered his forehead on hers after they broke away. Simbai watched them carefully and couldn't help but notice Tia being the calmest she had been in a long time. Maybe it would be easier now that she was back with Rocket, or maybe it would make it harder on their relationship. Even she knew though that the only she could do was help cure Tia, the rest was down to Tia herself. She could only help her and despite what he wanted, all Rocket could do was stand by her…

Rocket was watching his angel sleeping peacefully. This was the calmest he had seen her in quite a while and it brought a sense of calmness to him also. He also felt more relaxed just caressing her soft cheek, avoiding the scratches around her eyes as much as possible, as well as tracing her palm with his finger. Suddenly, the door opened and D'Jok and Micro-Ice entered the room.

'Rocket, we need to talk…_now_,' D'Jok said firmly and I nodded before kissing Tia's forehead and following them to the outside.

'Can we make this quick? I need to be with Tia when she wakes up,' I hurried. If Tia woke up and saw he wasn't there, he knew she might panic and do something dangerous and they never knew what she would do. She was so unstable that the slightest thing would set her off, especially Rocket knew that.

'Don't worry, I need to be with Mei so it will be quick,' D'Jok muttered, not really caring about Rocket being with Tia but him being with Mei. He wasn't going to let what happened to Tia happen to Mei so he wasn't going to leave her. 'Look, we know about the brain scan Tia had and we were talking about it. Tia said that Yuki would be next when Mei disappeared and we all know the disappearances are connected and if they are, then whatever's in Tia's brain, is possibly in Mei's too,' D'Jok informed sending shivers down Rocket's back. 'I'm not going to let what happened to Tia, happen to Mei and Micro-Ice is going to keep an eye on Yuki while you're job is to keep an eye on Tia and try and get her to tell you something while I do the same with Mei. We're the only ones they will talk to so it's down to us now to do what we can to protect them and solve this problem out. It's down to us now,' D'Jok finished and Rocket knew what he said was true. Even Sonny couldn't help them the way they could. The three of them were the only ones who had any chance of saving their partners. But how they were going to do that was still unknown to them but they had to get as much info from the girls as they could while Micro-Ice protected Yuki. They couldn't risk it happening to her also.

'I can't believe I'm saying this but you're right. Ok…every day, at this time exactly, we meet here and give each other updates. I'm not leaving Tia alone for too long and it wouldn't be safe to leave Mei or Yuki alone either. But we tell no one of this, especially the girls. All we can do now is hope they tell us something so we can save them…'

**First off, sorry for not having that many Mei x D'Jok moments! I had originally planned to have many more but they have to be pushed back because this chapter was getting very long! But I can promise you guys there will be plenty of moments in the next chapter and I can also promise that I will update sooner, I was just really busy this week! Will update sooner though, I promise you guys! **


	10. More Nigtmares and a Breakthrough

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Previously:** _He doesn't love me…Tia, this wrong…Please God let her be alright…something's going on in your head…Rocket we need to talk…All we can do now is hope they tell us something so we can save them…_

D'Jok lay in bed with a sleeping Mei in his arms shortly after talking with Rocket and Micro-Ice. They had come to one agreement at least-only they could save the girls. The problem with that though was that they had no idea as to what they were protecting them from. Rocket was the perfect person to find that out but with Tia the way she is, he wouldn't be much use even if it were for Tia. Also, Sonny and the Pirates could be of use to discover the truth but like the boys all said last night, they were the only ones who could protect them. Then there was Micro-Ice who by all means was useless with keeping his mind focused and he was just…Micro-Ice. As much as he loved his best friend, he would be useless at finding out what they needed to know. Therefore, it was all down to D'Jok. He had to do the research and find out for the girls sake, all of them and not just Mei, he knew that. As much as he envied Tia, he still didn't want anything bad to her as well as Yuki. Besides, Tia was finding it hard enough and with Micro-Ice agreeing to not tell Yuki, it would be hard but after Tia's warning, Yuki was listening despite Tia being unstable and she was with Micro-Ice as often as humanly possible. Whether or not that would work was a different story.

That brought D'Jok on to another thought but before he could continue to think it through and try to discover answers, Mei suddenly felt tense and nervous in his arms and he looked down to find her breathing heavily with sweat pouring down her face. Knowing what was going on, he tried to wake her up.

'Mei…wake up Mei please!' he begged, prepared for what was coming thanks to Rocket telling him about how Tia reacted during the dreams. That didn't stop him fearing for her though.

'No…' she sobbed. 'NO! Please….DON'T!' she screamed at the top of her lungs before springing up in the bed and out of his arms. Acting quickly, D'Jok slipped his arm around her waist but knowing what was coming and not wanting it to the go there, he spoke before she could and gripped her shoulders tightly to make her look into his eyes.

'You're not crazy!' he said firmly, his eyes burning with something Mei had never seen before but whatever he said and the way he said it made everything inside her head stop and she was grateful for it. She swallowed hard before nodding to him, showing that she was ok and he left out a sigh of relief before bringing her to his chest again. They stayed embraced for a few moments before D'Jok began to lay them both back down on the bed. However, sudden screaming made them bolt right up again. D'Jok couldn't recognise the voice because it was strained and stressed and it hurt D'Jok to hear the person screaming. They were in agony. However, when Mei whispered something, D'Jok felt fear instead of pain spread through his body.

'Tia…' she whispered worriedly before D'Jok looked at her, eyes wide. This was by no means good. Even this wasn't Tia's usual screaming, this was _much_ worse than he had ever heard her before. D'Jok and Mei jumped out of the bed before D'Jok grabbed her hand and they ran out the door at full speed down to the infirmary while meeting a few other team mates who had also heard the screaming along the way. The screaming could still be heard as they ran and it kept growing more and more strained. When they reached the door, they felt the screaming pierce their ears but when they entered they saw something even worse...

'Tia! Calm down, PLEASE! I'm here Tia, please calm down!' Rocket shouted at the top of his lungs to overpower the screams but she never heard him. She continued to scream as well as fight against Rockets grip, holding her to the bed as she was panicking so hard with tears and sweat pouring down her face as well as her eyes tightly shut. D'Jok suddenly noticed Simbai grabbing some kind of syringe and drugging it up with something which D'Jok presumed was to get her to relax. Suddenly, Simbai turned to him.

'D'Jok, help Rocket hold her down!' she ordered and D'Jok never even hesitated in helping Rocket hold her down while Simbai injected her arm with the drug as Mei and the others looked on with horrified expressions. The drug began to take hold almost instantly as her screaming died down but her breathing remained rapid and her eyes tightly shut. Everyone watched for a few minutes before she began to relax and it wasn't long until she was soundlessly asleep. Both Rocket and D'Jok then let her go and D'Jok immediately wrapped his arms round a horrified Mei while Rocket sat back in the chair, breathing heavily. She had put up quite a fight but he didn't give up in her and he wasn't going to either.

'I think it's best if we leave,' Simbai announced just as Rocket had caught his breath back and was now gazing at Tia lovingly while stroking her hair and clutching her hand. However, Rocket wanted to have a few words with Rocket and knowing he wasn't going to leave Tia's side for a while, he chose to do that now so he asked Micro-Ice until finally, they were alone.

'What happened Rocket?' he asked and only then did Rocket realize that he was not alone in the room like he had originally thought.

'We were talking first but then she said she wanted to tell me something. She grabbed a pen and paper and told me everything she had told Sonny but also a bit more. I had told her to stop because she had said enough and I didn't want her to push it but she was persistent. There was something she showed me that could help us but this was the thing that set her off...' he said before grabbing a pad of paper and showing it to D'Jok. He then took it off him but was shocked at what he laid eyes on. Tia had actually drawn a picture of a man and it seemed to fit the description given by Mei and Tia. 'Maybe it can help us and it would help even more if you got Mei to colour it but that draw is never going anywhere near Tia again. She's too unstable so Mei has to do it, there's no other choice even you know that!' Rocket acknowledged before D'Jok nodded and looked down at the picture. If Mei could colour it then maybe they could figure out who it was and why Tia freaked out when she drew the picture. He obviously had something to do with their kidnapping but what? Rocket and D'Jok continued to voice each other's thoughts before Rocket asked D'Jok to leave so he could be alone with Tia and think straight. D'Jok understood and left, taking Tia's drawing of the man with him...

Mei, Yuki and Micro-Ice watched D'Jok carefully as he came into the room clutching a pad of paper in his hand. All of three of them were watching his grim and worried expression, especially Mei as he sat down next to her.

'Mei…' he began. 'We need your help,' he said and eyed her carefully. After seeing the look in his eyes, Mei couldn't refuse him and nodded slowly but her eyes widened in fear and shock when he handed her the pad of paper, showing her the person Tia drew. 'We need to colour it Mei, to give us a better idea as to who we're looking for. Tell us more about him if you can. We need you Mei, before anything happens to you and Yuki or Tia gets any worse. Please Mei, we need you to help us,' he begged and gently pressed his lips to hers. He needed her just like Tia, Yuki, Rocket, Micro-Ice, Sonny… Just like everyone else needed her. She was the only one who could help. When they broke away, Mei looked at D'Jok carefully before nodding and D'Jok smiled at her reassuringly before she did what she could to help…

Rocket watched Tia as she slept with the memory of how she was not so long ago still vivid in his mind. She had never screamed and reacted like that before, it scared him quite a bit but he wasn't going to give up on her. She needed him now more than ever. He feared even more for her now also. Even though he was standing right next to her, clutching her hand and assuring her he was there, she still continued to scream and fight against him. That made him fear that him being there wasn't enough anymore. Suddenly, she began to stir but before Rocket could panic, she calmly opened her eyes before looking over at him with dreary eyes.

'Hey Tia… How are you feeling?' he whispered gently, not wanting to frighten her. She looked away from him for a moment as if she was trying to realise how she was feeling herself before her gaze flickered to Rocket again and she answered.

'Tired…really tired,' she whispered tiredly. She had no energy, all that screaming and fighting from earlier had taken a lot out of her and the drug Simbai had given her didn't help either.

'The rest Tia, go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up, I'll always be here,' he promised before he kissed her forehead. However, Tia wanted to tell him something.

'I can't do it anymore Rocket. Not if I want to get better,' she told him and Rocket looked at her in confusion before t suddenly dawned on him as to what she meant.

'Don't worry Tia,' he said, stroking her hair. 'You can't tell us anymore information until you're better, I know. It's hard and I'm not going to pressure you into telling us anything more. Our main concern right now Tia is helping you get back to normal, I promise,' he assured her before he once again gently kissed her forehead. When he broke away, he continued to stroke her hair and looked lovingly into her eyes. 'Now go to sleep angel, you're exhausted,' he whispered before gently kissing her and then letting her fall fast asleep…

_The next day…_

Both Tia and Mei had woken up at the exact same time with the exact same dreams but Rocket and D'Jok both reacted the same way and assured them they weren't crazy (which Tia didn't help the cause by freaking out soon after) but typically, when they woke up the next morning, neither of them remembered the nightmare but Tia did remember freaking out. Rocket kept his eye on her for a while but when Mei and D'Jok came in, D'Jok told Rocket that Mei was about to have the brain scan and Rocket had to leave her side despite D'Jok telling him he didn't have to. However, just because Tia wasn't going to or even able to tell him anything more, he was still going to help D'Jok and Micro-Ice in every way he possibly could. Therefore, he went with D'Jok, Micro-Ice and Simbai and watched as Mei went under the huge machines.

'Well…Dame Simbai? D'Jok questioned as the scan appeared on the computer screen and she began to examine it, unbeknown to Mei as to what was really going on. All D'Jok had told her was that she was just getting it done to help them so she wouldn't end up like Tia and se agreed to despite D'Jok not telling her the whole story.

'I hate to say this D'Jok but…she's just like Tia in the sense that there is something exactly like Tia's _in_ her brain.'

**Ooohhh…what can I say? I love drama!**


	11. Fights and Disappearances

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

'Shit!' D'Jok muttered running his hand through his hair while Rocket and Micro-Ice just stared at Simbai with horrified expressions. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder. Rocket was just confused. He couldn't get over the fact that something was in both Mei and Tia's brain. It just didn't make sense. Micro-Ice was worried for Yuki. If Mei and Tia had something in their brain after being kidnapped, if Yuki was kidnapped the same thing would probably happen and he feared, just like D'Jok feared for Mei, that if Yuki did get kidnapped, she would end up like Tia and no one wanted that. Of course, D'Jok was worried for Mei because she also had something in her brain. He knew it had something to do with how Tia was reacting but he didn't how it affected her. He decided to question Rocket about that later. For now though, he just wanted to hold Mei in his arms.

'I'm going back to Tia, she'll be waking up soon,' Rocket muttered suddenly and walked out the door before anyone could question him but weren't going to stop him either, he needed Tia nearly as much as she needed him right now. D'Jok watched him go before he began to think about what they were going to do. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

'Simbai is there any chance you could give me a copy of that scan?' he questioned wonderingly and she nodded despite not knowing what he would want a copy for.

'Of course, just give me a few moments,' she said and D'Jok waited impatiently while Simbai prepared a copy of the scan and when he finally retrieved it, he ran into the scan room to Mei.

'Are you alright?' he asked as he helped her down, hiding the copy of the scan from her. Before he spoke to Mei about it, he had to get one thing clear with Rocket.

'I'm fine, just a little dizzy from lying down but that's all,' she told him confidently and he smiled before shifting some of her weight on to him and helping her out of the scan room...

'D'Jok please,' Mei pleaded as they walked down the corridor with Mei no longer needing D'Jok for support.

'Mei, I don't know. Tia's not well...' D'Jok informed her. He didn't want to visit Tia unless he had to see Rocket but he wasn't going to let Mei go there without him with that unstable bitch who has already caused a lot of pain to everyone around her. He wasn't going to let Mei become another victim but Mei wanted to see her best friend and as far as she was concerned, she was going to.

'D'Jok! She's my best friend! She needs me! I don't care what you say, I know all that and I have to see her, with or without you,' she told him firmly and he knew he had no choice in the matter and gave a reluctant sigh before leading Mei to the infirmary...

Rocket was sitting next to a sleeping Tia as his mind began to wonder. He could understand her sleeping so much with all the nightmares she had at night and all the 'freak out' moments must've taken a lot out of her as well so he encouraged her to sleep as much as possible to which she had no complaints. He had only just fallen back to sleep when Mei and D'Jok came into see her.

'How is she?' Mei asked worriedly and Rocket never failed to notice the sour look on D'Jok's face. Why though, he had no idea. He couldn't figure why D'Jok suddenly disliked Tia so much. She had done nothing wrong and D'Jok knew about the hard time she was going through. What was his deal?

'She's ok. She seems more relaxed, even when she's asleep so it's ok,' Rocket informed, pretending to ignore the presence of D'Jok despite feeling the tense aura around him.

'That's something at least,' Mei murmured, also feeling D'Jok's tension and after that, conversation was very limited. Feeling too uncomfortable, Mei announced that she was off to get some rest and D'Jok simply said he would join her shortly before meeting Rocket's curious gaze as he said goodbye to Mei and thanked her for coming. The second the door was closed behind her, D'Jok began to dig deep.

'Does she know?' he asked immediately as his usually green eyes were clouded over by anger.

'Does who know what?' Rocket pushed, wanting more specific details so he could give a straight answer.

'Tia! Does she know?' he repeated but when Rocket gave him the same confused look, he sighed heavily before making it clearer to him. 'That thing in her brain! Does Tia know about it?' D'Jok asked and Rockets expression went from confusion to realisation and he shook his head. 'You have to tell her,' D'Jok told him but Rocket was having none of it. It wasn't any of D'Jok's business as to whether or not he told her, the decision was his after all, and he certainly wasn't going to tell her something was in her brain in her unstable mind. Who knows what could happen. No, he wasn't going to risk Tia getting hurt more than she already had.

'I'm not telling her, she's too unstable for something like that. She's struggling enough as it is; I'm not going to hurt her unless she needed to know. We don't even know what it is so at least until we figure that out, I'm not telling her,' Rocket told D'Jok firmly before continuing. 'Are you going to tell Mei?' he questioned and D'Jok bowed his head. In seeing this, something occurred to Rocket and he wasn't one bit happy. 'What, so Tia's the guinea pig? You're going to test things out on her and see what happens so your precious Mei doesn't get hurt?' he exclaimed furiously. Deep down D'Jok knew that that really was what he was thinking but mainly because he didn't want anything to happen to Mei, not that he didn't care about Tia, he envied her but he didn't hate her, but his main concern was for Mei. He didn't want to see her hurt.

'Rocket, I don't mean it that way. If Mei finds out, she could end up like Tia! Even you have to admit you don't want that to happen!' he said but Rocket still couldn't buy it. If Mei didn't have to know then neither did Tia, simple as that. Anger boiled through him as he stood up with only the bed between them stopping him from smacking D'Jok right in the face.

'Of course I don't want that to happen but I'm not letting Tia get worse. She has to recover before anything like that can be brought on her or else she will never get better or worse! There's no way I'm telling her that or anything else. You want to find out what will happen if they know, go right ahead and tell Mei but stay away from Tia or I swear I punch your head off your shoulders!' Rocket threatened, not prepared to take any risks when it came to Tia's safety with her unstable mind. Before D'Jok could reply to any of that, Micro-Ice came into the room (he probably heard the yelling as he was passing by) just as Tia was waking up from the yelling. She was surprised when she woke up to find Rocket standing to the right of her bed with his fists clenched and D'Jok standing to the left of her bed also with his fists clenched while giving Rocket fierce looks which he returned.

'Hey dudes, calm down!' Micro-Ice exclaimed, jumping in the middle of them and they relaxed a little though still continued to give each other dagger looks and Rocket sat in the chair next to Tia whilst she sat up to discover what the arguing was about when D'Jok spoke.

'Better set yourself up Tia, Rocket has something he wants to tell you,' D'Jok muttered to her before storming out while Rocket looked at him in shock and Tia gazing at Rocket with an expectant look on her scarred and swollen face. The injuries she had suffered from trying to claw her eyes out had not healed at all yet but scars were starting to appear. The remembrance of the horror was still completely revealing to both of them and it would take a long time for the redness and scratches to heal and to leave only scars so Simbai had informed them. Tia would never be able to forget the experience and Rocket kept a mirror away from her at all times in case the scars and scratches would cause her to freak out again. Back to reality, Ti asked Rocket about D'Jok's statement the second both he and Micro-Ice left her and Rocket alone.

'What do you have to tell me Rocket?' she asked worriedly in case something was wrong with him or in case it was something concerning her unstable health. Rocket didn't know how to answer but he knew how he didn't want to answer.

'It's nothing Tia, D'Jok's just getting worked up over Mei with all the nightmares and everything and I just had to ask him something. It's nothing for you to worry about sweetie, I swear,' he promised her. It was half true. Maybe the situation was something to worry about but she didn't have to worry about it. All she had to worry about was getting better; he would worry about the rest.

'Are you sure?' Tia questioned uncertainly. She didn't like it when something was on his mind and she didn't like the fact that his mind was more than likely on her and her health, even if her health was something to worry about.

'I'm positive Tia. If it was something for you to worry about, I would tell you but it's nothing for you to worry about, I swear! Now lie down, Simbai will be in to do some tests any moment now,' he assured her and she lay down, not taking her scarred eyes off his for a second. Once she was lying down and still gazing at him to see any signs of worry (but she saw nothing but love), Rocket gripped her hand tight and gazed back at her. 'We'll get you through this Tia, I promise,' he swore to her and she only nodded, believed his words but unsure if she could get through it. He just nodded before slowly leaning down to give her a gentle kiss. The kiss was very gentle as he didn't want to push it when the door suddenly opened and Simbai entered the room making them breakaway.

'Alright Tia, time for a quick check-up,' she encouraged as Simbai as Rocket moved back and gave Tia a reassuring smile…

_Less than a week later…_

Less than a week passed and things were painfully slowly getting better. Tia was improving _very _slowly but she had had no more 'freak outs' so that was something even if the nightmares were still going. D'Jok was relieved to see that Mei wasn't following in Tia's footsteps which they presumed was because D'Jok convinced Mei she wasn't crazy after the nightmares where as Rocket had only comforted Tia. However, as the days went on, one particular day finally arrived that made everyone nervous-today was the day that Yuki was supposed to disappear. D'Jok and Mei were just sitting around nervously while Rocket never stopped thinking, especially when Tia was acting strangely since she also knew the situation despite that no one had to tell her or Mei. But no one said anything to them as well as anyone else, even when the Pirates turned up. They all just presumed they came to see how Mei and especially Tia were getting on which was true but they were mainly there to watch out for Yuki (who had no clue what was supposed to happen to her but obliged to staying near Micro-Ice as much as possible) and also to discuss the draw and the brain scan with the boys. Therefore, they all went to a quiet room where they could talk in private while Mei was getting a check-up by Simbai and Tia had actually asked Rocket to give her some alone time to think but Simbai and Mei were close(ish) so he allowed it. Micro-Ice hadn't arrived but they thought he was watching out for Yuki which they understood and went on.

'I can't say I recognise the man D'Jok but give us a few more days and we might be able to figure it out,' Bennett pointed out to them as they all listened intently. 'We have a different story with the thing in the brain though…it's some sort of micro-chip-' he told the stunned boys before they both suddenly blurted out simultaneously.

'MICRO-CHIP?' they exclaimed and looked at each other nervously. Bennett coughed for their attention and they turned to him, realising there was more.

'As I was saying,-' he began but was stopped (again!) by Micro-Ice running into the room, breathing heavily making everyone in the room turn to him.

'It's Yuki…she's disappeared.'

**Another chapter! Ha ha! I hope I'm portraying D'Jok alright for you guys, this is just how I think he is you know, doing selfish things but because he's looking out for Mei's safety. I think it's him but I don't know what you guys think! However, this is my story so if you don't think that way, tough but it might help you see him in a different light! Anyways, more importantly, I hope you liked the chapter!**


	12. Love, Voices and Paranoia

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Just in case, I would advise you re-read chapter 7. There is a part in that connected with this chapter so in case you have forgotten what has happened, please read it again. Hope you guys enjoy this one!**

'How did that happen?' Sonny yelled out in frustration. He had one job. One job and that was to protect his girlfriend but he couldn't even manage that. Wasn't really a great start on Micro-Ice's behalf to this whole rescue mission.

'Hear me out before you make any judgement please,' he begged and they all exchanged looks before nodding. 'Ok...I was with her as much as I possibly could. But her parents called and asked her to meet them and she refused to let me come with, saying that it was only a few minutes walk and that nothing could happen...' Rocket and D'Jok felt shivers go down their spines as similar phrases were used by Tia and Mei before they both disappeared. '...I didn't leave her though. I followed her and she turned a corner towards an alleyway but when I got to the corner...she was gone. I looked everywhere she could've gone to but nothing. I never even heard a scream and there appeared to be no sign of a struggle,' Micro-Ice informed them when something occurred to Sonny and the others in the room. Micro-Ice was the only boyfriend not with them when they found the alleyway and the footage of Mei and Tia's disappearances but with the worries of the girl's health and that, no one remembered to inform Micro-Ice of this so Sonny explained it all to him now as well as the info Bennett had recently given them. Halfway through the explanation, Rocket and D'Jok returned to their girlfriends as Micro-Ice began to hate himself for not being their enough to protect his.

'You did what you could Micro-Ice,' Sonny applauded, resting a hand on his shoulder to for reassurance and to show respect which not many got out of Sonny Blackbones easily.

'If it was enough, she would still be here,' Micro-Ice mumbled and Sonny said nothing. 'So...what do we do now?' Micro-Ice questioned, only focusing on his missing girlfriend and Sonny smiled respectfully. He had never seen this strong and brave side to Micro-Ice before, not many had and Sonny could help but admire the look on the usual-joker's face...

When Rocket entered the room, he found Tia sitting up in the bed and awake. He was quite surprised by this but took it as a good sign and didn't argue with it. She looked up and gave him a small smile as he approached her bed to which he replied by giving her a huge and reassuring smile.

'Hey, how are you feeling?' he asked, reclaiming his seat to the right of her bed where he had sat throughout most of the rollercoaster experience.

'Ok for the circumstances I guess,' Tia informed and shrugged her shoulders making Rocket smile. This was the brightest he had seen her in a while though he could tell she was far from being _his_ Tia again. That would take a while, he knew she wouldn't recover from the ordeal instantly but he was there for her until and after she was fully recovered. He wouldn't let her down again; he's done that too much already. Suddenly, Simbai walked in the door to check on her patient but she told them something that neither of them were expecting...

'Ok Tia...I think you're ready to take another small step and what I'm going to allow is that you sleep in with Rocket in his room tonight...' Rocket was happy to hear this. It was a good sign and it would be another step closer to recovery for Tia but he didn't how to react when Tia tensed up.

'Tia?' Rocket questioned her curiously and Tia turned to him with a frightened look in her eyes.

'I can't Rocket, I...' she began, her voice shaking but was stopped when Rocket got a tight grip on her hand and hushed her while stroking her hair, knowing that he had to calm her before things went too far.

'Tia...it's ok. Try Tia, please. It will help you. You want to get better and this is the perfect chance to help you recover. You'll be with me the whole time and only me. It's only overnight, you'll be back here for the day tomorrow. One step at a time. But please Tia, try at least,' he pleaded with her. She needed to do this and he knew it would also help her put her faith back in him which they both needed and Rocket was willing to do anything but he needed Tia's co-operation. Thankfully, in seeing the pleading look in his eyes, she agreed to by nodding and he and Dame Simbai exchanged looks, knowing that Rocket had probably saved Tia from freaking out and then landing back in square one again...

D'Jok, Micro-Ice and Mei were in the boys' room and Micro-Ice was pacing like hell across the room while the couple looked on from D'Jok's bed.

'Micro-Ice, stop it or else you're going to burn a hole through the floor!' D'Jok ordered despite feeling bad about it. He knew what his best friend was going through and he had acted the exact same way. Not that he didn't want Micro-Ice to react, he just didn't want him to react in front of Mei who was getting more and more tense. D'Jok knew she wished she could more and Micro-Ice pacing in front of her was not helping.

'Yuki's vanished D'Jok, I can't sit there! I know pacing's not doing anything either but I don't know, it helps me think and I need to think of a way to save Yuki!' he yelled back before continuing to pace. It was then that D'Jok saw a side of Micro-Ice he had never seen before and suddenly realised something.

'You're in love with her,' he stated matter-of-factly and he could tell by Micro-Ice's expression that he was right. Micro-Ice had actually fallen in love. 'Have you told her?' D'Jok asked and Mei sat up, getting quite interested in the sudden turn of conversation. Micro-Ice only gave him a look of sorrow and D'Jok began to realise that maybe Micro-Ice was feeling a lot more alike how D'Jok and Rocket now than D'Jok first suspected. He had never realised that Micro-Ice was actually in love with the girl. 'Look Micro, Dad is going to look for her but she will turn up in 48 hours. Rocket had to handle not knowing that Tia would. She will come back and if you tell her you love her then she won't end up like Tia. But you have to tell her,' D'Jok told him and Micro-Ice bowed his head. It was easy for D'Jok to say. He however was struggling to come to terms with his feelings for her himself, never mind confess them to her. One thing he could come to terms with was that the next few days would be tough, especially tonight but tonight wouldn't be as tough for Micro-Ice as it would for one other Snow Kid...

Tia was sitting curled up in a ball on Rocket's bed. Rocket was having a quick wash before they went to sleep and Tia had to admit, she was nervous. It wasn't because Rocket was there; he was there with her most nights in the infirmary anyway. She wasn't quite sure how to describe it. She just felt uncomfortable about being somewhere different since the whole mental stability ordeal occurred. She was always in the infirmary and she felt safe there. She didn't know how to feel now that she was somewhere else. Suddenly, Rocket came out of the bathroom making Tia jump. She felt so weak and scared all the time. She hated it, especially when she appeared to scared of Rocket.

'It's ok Tia, it's only me,' he promised her and she relaxed slightly but it was obvious she was still scared shitless of everything else around her with Rocket of the exception. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths as Rocket sat down next to her, both trying to relax her. 'Tia, relax. I'm here and I will be all night Tia, I promise,' he swore and she nodded, showing that she believed him. She still was suffering from paranoia though and Rocket knew this but Tia just wanted to make sure:

'Did you lock the windows?' She knew she was probably going overboard but she was paranoid, she couldn't help it which Rocket understood and nodded to tell her he had as he knew that would be what she would want and he was willing to do anything to make her feel safe. She opened her mouth to continue but Rocket continued for her.

'I locked the windows, the door, the bathroom door, I closed the shower door, everywhere in the bathroom where water can get out of I blocked but I checked the plumbing and it's fine, the curtains are closed and also...I'm here. Everything's fine Tia, just relax!' he begged and she gulped before nodding. She couldn't argue with that. He had done everything she could think of. 'Now try and get some sleep Tia, you're exhausted! I'll be here all through the night if you need me,' he promised and Tia nodded before Rocket lifted the covers and placed them both under it. Tia just grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her and he slipped his arms around her for more reassurance. Maybe she was paranoid and crazy and had scarred eyes and looked scared and frightened all the time, but Rocket knew was that he would always be there for her and would always love her and he showed this to Tia everyday and she began to believe that one day, she could finally be herself again...

Typically that night, just like every other night, both the girls woke up screaming because of the nightmare again. D'Jok continued with his ways and comforted her while continuously telling her that she wasn't crazy. He wasn't going to let her become crazy like Tia. However, after Tia's nightmare, things acted a little differently than before and Rocket was about to find out something that would haunt his mind…

'Rocket, wait a second,' Tia told him, jumping off the bed and running to get something in one of his draws. Rocket was just about to take her in his arms and comfort her when she jumped up and suddenly, she turned around and Rocket found her holding one of his notepads. She sat back down next to him on the bed before taking a deep breath and started writing something down. Rocket didn't know what it was but never said anything, knowing he would soon find out. Finally finished, she showed him and he looked at her with uncertainty before reading through what she had written. What he saw both shocked him and scared him. She had told him everything going on inside her head. Everything she had told Sonny. The voices in her head, why she couldn't say it aloud, everything. Part of it made sense to Rocket, parts of it didn't. Even after he had read through the information, he continued to stare at it and aware that he had finished, Tia spoke.

'I just want it to stop,' Tia confessed, tears filling her eyes as well as Rocket's in seeing her scared expression. So the 'voices' were what was driving her crazy. Rocket only nodded and not trusting himself to say anything, he carefully brought her to his chest and stroked her hair gently as many thoughts kept spinning round his head but one in particular made him think…

Rocket never slept a wink following that but he forced Tia to sleep, she needed it as all the freak outs and tests and the nightmares and the paranoia and everything else was taking a lot out of her and she needed rest if she wanted to improve. Rocket however, didn't need rest to improve and he had to do all he could to help her which was why he was still awake. He had tried to figure out what kind of voices she could be hearing, that didn't make sense that she was hearing anything but then he thought of something and instantly knew they were connected and that it was what was causing the 'voices'. Rocket was tempted to inform D'Jok but knowing it was late, he didn't but he also knew there was something else. He decided to wait until tomorrow to figure things out but he knew he was going to speak none of it to Tia. All he would tell her was that he was going to get rid of the voices and that was what he was going to do. He wouldn't tell her how or why they were there in the first place, Rocket was still trying to figure that out for himself. All he knew for certain was that he was going to protect Tia, Mei and Yuki and he concluded that as he snuggled into Tia's neck and fell asleep…

**I hope there wasn't too much Rocket x Tia, it's how the chapter went but there won't be as many in the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	13. Discoveries and Proposals

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

D'Jok and Mei were lying in bed, in each other's arms. It was the middle of the night. Mei had woken up not too long ago but was too contended to fall asleep again. D'Jok was quite happy though with just holding her and just thinking. He felt relaxed which was something he hadn't felt in a while and he was surprised by it since Yuki was missing and all. But his Dad and the Pirates were helping them, Tia was on the road to recovery with Rocket's help, everyone knew Yuki would be back safe and sound soon, Mei seemed to fine and not crazy and D'Jok, along with Micro-Ice and Rocket's help, was going to help the girls and keep them safe. For now though, he was too happy to worry about that and decided to enjoy the moments with his beauty.

'Mei?' D'Jok began and she looked up at him as he suddenly thought of something. 'Because of everything that's been happening and all the tests and that kind of thing, you haven't been able to go to training. I haven't been much either but you haven't gone at all since everything happened. Why not take a break from everything tomorrow and go to training?' he asked. She needed to get away and football was the getaway…or so he thought.

'No, I'm fine,' she said firmly, cuddling into his chest and firmly shutting her eyes making D'Jok curious. There a reason to the no, he knew her well.

'Mei, it'll give you a break…'

'No D'Jok!' she said firmly before releasing herself from his grip and rolling round in the bed. D'Jok gazed at her back for a minute before lying down also, the way Mei replied still vivid in his mind.

_Don't tell me the micro-chip thing is stopping her from playing football to._

Before D'Jok could think more, he suddenly felt Mei move but before he could respond, she gently kissed his cheek before rolling back again to fall asleep. Despite his concerns with the football, he fell asleep with a smile on his face while another happy thought continued to spin around his mind…

Tia slowly stirred before her eyes fluttered open, taking in the world around her before turning to cuddle Rocket only…he wasn't there. Tia sat up, startled and began to panic.

_Please God, no. _

'Rocket!' she screamed, panicking like hell with her breathing heavy and quick and her body shaking. 'ROCKET!' Finally, the door of the bathroom opened and out came a shirtless Rocket, immediately running down to his distressed girlfriend.

'I'm here Tia, calm down,' he begged, taking her in his arms and rubbing her back reassuringly as he hushed her and kissed her forehead. She was awake early, that's why Rocket had taken the chance to have a shower because he was awake quite early and she wasn't supposed to be waking up until a while later. He soon regretted it.

_I won't be doing that again._

'Are you alright Tia?' he asked a while later, releasing her from his grip a little and she nodded, just relieved that he was there.

'I'm fine, really,' she promised, telling him that she was fine for the circumstances. He nodded gleefully before planting a kiss on to her head and pulling her into his arms again for a small cuddle. They never moved for about an hour, Tia was quite happy in his arms and Rocket was happy having her there. It was a small comfort for them both but even Rocket knew that she needed to get her checkups done soon despite what they wanted.

'Simbai will be getting worried you know. We should be getting up soon,' he informed and for once, she smiled which Rocket smiled back at. He hadn't seen too many of them in a while and it was now that he began to appreciate it. Not that he didn't before; he just appreciated it _more _now especially under the circumstances. 'You smiled.'

'I feel happy. I haven't felt that way in a while and I don't want to go back,' she confessed and Rocket smiled before giving her a small kiss which made Tia smile…again. Rocket just couldn't remove the smile from his face. She was recovering, slowly, but she was recovering and she was happy. Maybe not like she would usually be but there was a spark of happiness and Rocket was happy enough with that.

'I'm here Tia and I always will be. And if you keep recovering at the pace you're going now, before you know it you'll always be happy Tia, I promise. Before you know it, we'll be able to go out on dates again; you'll be able to go shopping with Mei, play football…' He stopped when he felt Tia's body tense up. That was never a good sign, even before she was ill.

'No…' she panicked. 'Rocket, no!' Rocket quickly took hold of arms and bent down to be eye level with her. He couldn't have her panicking like this now, not when she was after taking one step closer to recovery.

'Tia, hey! It's ok. No one's going to force you into anything, not even me. Just relax, one step at a time,' he promised and she nodded, forcing herself to relax and take deep breaths. Seeing she was calmer, Rocket brought her close and she cuddled back into his chest. She was getting closer to being herself again every day, she couldn't crack now. Rocket just rubbed her back as many thoughts spun round his mind. The main one at that moment though was why did she tense up when he mentioned her play football again…?

'So that's where Yuki disappeared?' Sonny questioned the stressed black haired boy next to him who sighed heavily.

'Yeah…that's it,' Micro-Ice informed him and Sonny never replied. All he did was brought up a video of the alleyway and showed Micro-Ice the videos of Tia and Mei's disappearances. His eyes widened in shock. The times, the place, everything was exactly the same. His eyes got even wider when he saw Yuki and everything that happened during Mei and Tia's disappearances happened there. The only difference was that a few seconds later, Micro-Ice himself could be seen searching everywhere for her but with no luck. 'How is that even possible? Exactly the same time. Not a second, tenth of a second, not a single mark out of place. How the hell is that possible?' Micro-Ice exclaimed, not being able to overcome his shock. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder.

'Relax Micro-Ice. Yuki will be fine, we'll be here when she ends up back here again. In the meantime, what you can do if talk to D'Jok and ask him what to do so Yuki doesn't end up like Tia. I don't know how, but he managed to protect Mei so talk to him. We can't afford to have anyone else in Tia's condition,' Sonny told him firmly and he nodded, willing to do anything as long as it meant protecting Yuki. He had failed once; he wasn't going to let that happen again. He was determined to do something right for once in his life. 'Meanwhile, you should probably get back to the Academy and talk to D'Jok before he makes an announcement,' Sonny said and Micro-Ice never failed to notice the mischievous look in his eyes. 'Just go, you'll see!' Sonny said, noting his son's best friend's expression and Micro-Ice gave him one more funny look before going off to find D'Jok so he could figure out how to save his girlfriend before she lost her mind…

'…just do that and she'll be fine. Not herself but it'll take time for her to get over the experience. Speaking of, she might make up some lame excuse telling you she wasn't kidnapped but just go along with it. You know the truth, that's all that matters,' D'Jok finished explaining to Micro-Ice who was looking paler and paler by the second.

'Ok …don't comfort her after she has the…tell her she's not crazy…relax when I see her petrified expression…make sure she doesn't lose her head…no pressure then,' Micro-Ice gasped out, panicking like hell. This was too much pressure for him to take in. He was Micro-Ice, the team's joker. Rocket and D'Jok were the 'heroes' and the 'perfect' boyfriends, he wasn't. It just wasn't him. This was too much for him; he was bound to screw up. But if he didn't try, something bad would happen to Yuki so he had to at least try. All he had to do was look out for Yuki…no pressure then.

'Relax Micro; she'll be fine if you're there. It's easier than it sounds, believe me. Just be there for her and keep your focus on her. In the mean time, I got to go, I'm meeting way. Just run that your head.' With that, D'Jok left leaving Micro-Ice to his wondering mind. He had been sitting on his bed for an hour when, not being able to stand sitting around anymore, he decided he was going to do something about this all before Yuki even returned. He couldn't sit around and do nothing. He got off the bed but just as he was about to leave the room to do something (only he didn't know what), something on D'Jok's bedside table caught his attention and when he looked at it, he found it was Mei's brain scan and D'Jok had circled the micro-chip inside it. He examined it closely before he recognised something...

_Artie was carrying in a number of boxes with hundreds of floppy disks and other computer stuff and he seemed like he was about to drop it all so Micro-Ice jumped in to help._

'_Need a hand there Artie mate?' he asked, smirking lightly at Artie's attempts of keeping his balance._

'_No, I'm good-Whoa!' The second he spoke, all of the boxes toppled over and out came all the disks and other electric gear. 'Or maybe I do.' They both laughed at this statement before both bending down and picking up all the gear, putting them back into the box when one particular item caught Micro-Ice's attention…_

'_What's this?' he asked curiously and Artie smirked in seeing what it was. _

'_That is the coolest micro-chip ever!' he said, taking it out of Micro-Ice's hands to show it to him better. 'It's one of Technoids but we 'borrowed' it and its so bloody cool. You insert this anywhere, and the person on the other side can hear what's going on around them and the person who has the micro-chip can hear them! Can come in useful at times!' Artie praised and Micro-Ice admired its unusual shape before getting back to putting the items into the box…_

Micro-Ice shot his fist up in the air like a ten year old. 

'YES! I knew running off with the Pirates and becoming friends with Artie would come in useful sometime!' he exclaimed happily, proud of himself for becoming the hero for once before he ran off to find the other dudes and give tell them what he had discovered…

Mei and D'Jok were sitting talking in her room when D'Jok began to talk about something he had been wanting to for a long time.

'Mei…do you love me?' he asked despite knowing the answer. Mei gave him a confused look before replying.

'Of course,' she said earnestly and began to get nervous at the look in D'Jok's eyes. Not in a bad way though.

'And you know I love you more than life itself, right?' he asked, just to be sure and was relieved when she nodded. Then, he reached into his pocket and took out a tiny box. Mei looked at him with a weird expression but that expression changed to shock when he opened the box and she saw what inside. 'I know this may seem kind of sudden but I have been thinking about it for a while actually. Typically Maya saw me thinking about asking and gave me this. It's my Mum's wedding ring. Maya asked Sonny if he wanted it but he said to keep it for when I was ready to ask someone…and I'm ready to ask you. I love you more than anything Mei and everything that has happened lately has shown me that and I don't want to spend one more moment with us apart and I especially don't want to lose you.' Mei began to feel tears bubbling up in her eyes.

'D'Jok, I…'

'I love you Mei and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. This is why I want to ask you…' D'Jok that chance to grab her hand and easily lead her to the edge of the bed while got off the bed and got down on one knee while keeping a tight grip on Mei's hand. 'Mei Harrison…will you marry me?'

**I know the last chapter disappointed some of you but that's how that chapter went but I hope this one made up for it, especially with all you Mei x D'Jok fans! Hope you guys liked it!**


	14. Voices, Anger and Engagement

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

Mei gazed at her boyfriend in shock. Yes, she had expected them to get married at some point but with everything that's going on in their lives, she definitely wasn't expecting now and with all the kidnappings and Tia, that made it ten times harder to believe it wasn't a dream. And yet, here was her boyfriend down on one knee and asking for her hand in marriage. It was all so surreal. However, before she could give him her answer...

'Sorry to break up the moment here but we need you two now!' Sonny ordered from the doorway, angry that he had to interrupt his son's proposal but it was an emergency so he let it off. He signalled for the couple to follow him which they did, forgetting about D'Jok's question though it was still playing on both their minds as D'Jok slipped the ring back in his pocket and they followed his Dad...

Micro-Ice had finished explaining everything to the Pirates, D'Jok and Rocket about the micro-chip and they were all in shock and confused bit things were starting to make sense to two of them. Mei was in with Tia and Simbai which D'Jok had only allowed because his father had ordered him to and now he could see why.

'So...you're telling us that the micro-chip inside Tia and Mei's brain is the work of Technoid?' D'Jok double checked and Micro-Ice nodded as D'Jok and Rocket realised why the Pirates were here despite the three boys agreeing that everything was down to them. Technoid was involved and if there was anyone that knew the in's and outs of Technoid, it was Sonny Blackbones and his Pirates. They were also the ones who had given the information (well, Artie at least) so it was only fair.

'That's right!' Micro-Ice confirmed and everyone exchanged looks, deep in thought when Rocket suddenly spoke.

'And people on the other side can hear everything going on around the person with the micro-chip and the person with the micro-chip what they want them to hear?' He had to admit he was confused himself by the question but Micro-Ice understood and nodded as Rockets mind slipped into realisation. He couldn't help but feel someone was watching him when Sonny spoke.

'Rocket, a word please,' he ordered and Rocket nodded before following him out of the room into the hall. He was just about to ask what was up when Sonny answered the question as if he could read his mind. 'You know about the voices.' Rocket could only look at him in shock for a few minutes before he realised just what Sonny meant by this statement and Rocket knew then that Sonny knew.

'Yeah, she told me last night,' Rocket confirmed; the thought giving him shivers as Sonny's mind began to wonder. She told him. He had to admit that he didn't quite understand that but then again, no one really knew what was going on in her head right now but Sonny could sense that Rocket had an idea…

'What do you think is going on?' Sonny asked, acknowledging Rocket's look and made Rocket look at him in shock. He couldn't get over how quick Sonny had read him but decided to tell him since he clearly also knew about the 'voices' and maybe he could help.

'I think…if that micro-chip is in Mei's head then maybe it's the same one that's in Tia's and I think that could be causing the voices and that's what's driving her crazy. The only problem is that we don't know if Mei's hearing voices also,' Rocket informed him and started thinking again, the main thought of how to get rid of the micro-chip from Mei and Tia's head.

'Why don't we find out?' Sonny spoke suddenly before walking straight back into the room to which Rocket followed though confused and got even more confused when Sonny spoke to his son and then D'Jok left the room. All Rocket and Sonny could think about was the micro-chip and the voices as everyone else sat in an awkward silence, all thinking about different things when after a few minutes, D'Jok re-entered the room holding nervous Mei's hand as he lead her over to one of the chairs and sat down as he sat next to her. Rocket stayed where he was as Sonny approached his son and possible future daughter-in-law and sat in front of them with everyone in the room watching intently. Slowly, Sonny removed a pad of paper and pen from his pocket and started writing something down making everyone, except for Rocket, curious, especially D'Jok. He didn't understand why his Dad had requested him to bring Mei here and when he questioned why, his Dad simply repeated the order. After a few moments of writing, Sonny handed it over to Mei who looked at him curiously before reading what it read.

'Do you hear the voices?' Mei's eyes widened in shock as well as D'Jok's who couldn't resist looking in to see what his father wanted to talk to her about. He was both shocked and confused by his father's question but Mei was shocked though anything but confused.

'Tia,' Mei muttered and eyed Sonny carefully who nodded, telling Mei that it was Tia who had informed Sonny of this and Mei took deep breaths before Sonny spoke.

'What do they say?' Tia couldn't tell him that and she wouldn't be able to for a very long time but in order to save the girls, he had to know soon and Mei was his only hope. Mei looked at him nervously, she wasn't sure of how to reply. The fear in her was immense but she wrote what she could manage and showed it to him.

'No, be quiet; don't do anything stupid… All warnings.' Sonny frowned in annoyance. It wasn't enough. Yes it was more than Tia had given but it wasn't enough so Sonny continued the questioning.

'Warnings of what? Why are they warning you?' he wrote but Mei bit on her bottom lip before shoving it back to him.

'No,' she stated firmly both confidence and fear showing in her eyes as Sonny, D'Jok, Rocket and everyone else went into shock. Rocket was the first to overcome his shock and realising that Mei was going to speak nothing more, his anger overtook him and he lashed out, giving the wall next to him a hard kick making everyone in the room jump before he ran out of the room in anger leaving everyone else in silence for a few minutes. Mei bowed her head in guilt but Sonny never pushed further. It appeared he had to figure out a way himself. D'Jok grabbed Mei's hand and led her out of the room but not before giving his Dad a warning look as he exited the room. A few minutes after, everyone got the fright of their life when Bennett came running into the room.

'I found it…I know who he is…the person in Tia's draw…'

'Mei, talk to Dad! He can help…' D'Jok began to argue but Mei was having none of it.

'No D'Jok, just drop it! No just…leave me alone I need to think. Please,' Mei begged and D'Jok nodded before reluctantly walking off and leaving Mei down the lonely corridor when she got the sudden urge to talk someone and knew there was only person she could talk to…

'Mei, hi,' Tia welcomed, surprised when Mei walked in but Mei ignored her welcome and plunged into her worries.

'I can't do it anymore Tia; I can't look him in the eye and lie anymore!' Mei confessed and went and sat down at the end of her sick best friend's bed. Tia nodded in agreement before answering.

'I know Mei, I'm struggling myself but we have to…to protect them,' Tia tried to convince her, Tia looking like the wise one for the first time in this whole ordeal.

'I know Tia but we can't go on like this forever, especially you. One of us is bound to crack at some point or another,' Mei said truthfully and Tia bowed her head in agreement and started biting on her bottom lip nervously which Mei also did. Suddenly, Tia realised something and checked the time to see it was starting to get late.

'Speaking of do you know where Rocket is? He's usually here at this time,' Tia questioned Mei wonderingly, starting to get a little worried but tried to relax herself. This was Rocket she was talking about so of course there was a reasonable explanation. She began to question this though when Mei explained to her what had happened earlier and how Rocket had stormed off in anger. Tia took a few deep breaths as she tried not to panic but when the only person (along with Sonny) that she trusted away in anger God knows where, that was kind of hard.

'Don't worry Tia; he won't be able to stay away from you for very long. He'll be back soon,' Mei assured her and Tia nodded in agreement before speaking of something to help Mei and get her own mind of Rocket.

'You should tell him about the voices. It helped when I told Rocket, I felt better and you would feel the same if you tell D'Jok,' Tia informed her and even Tia was surprised at how calm and sensible she seemed even after her being the crazy one and suffering all she had suffered but it was true and even Mei knew that.

'You're right…'

Mei took a deep breath as she opened the door to Micro-Ice and D'Jok's room and was relieved to find him alone and knew that Micro-Ice was probably out with the Pirates looking for something more on Yuki.

'Mei! Where've you been? I was worried!' D'Jok announced as he took her into his arms but worried even more when she never moved an inch, not even to hug him back so he pulled back to find out why when she spoke.

'D'Jok, I need to talk to you,' she said and he nodded, leading her over to the bed and clutched her hand as she told him everything about the voices just as Tia had told Sonny and Rocket, exactly the same way and same details. D'Jok was in shock and immediately comforted her when she got emotional. She stayed in his arms, too contended to move when she started replaying a scene in her head and began to slowly think it through before…

'Yes,' she said simply and loved up at him, a cheeky grin on her face and he gave her a confused look before she gave him an explanation. 'Yes…yes I will marry you,' she smiled and D'Jok couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock before breaking out into a huge smile as he sat her up and continued to look at her in shock.

'What… Mei! That's…' D'Jok was speechless and Mei was about to say something when D'Jok suddenly leaped off the bed and took out the ring from his bedside locker, opening it and carefully taking it out of the box. Just as he sat down on the bed, Mei lifted her left hand and neither of them could remove the smile off their faces as D'Jok slipped the ring onto her finger. They both gazed at it and then each other for just a few moments before Mei leaped into his arms and melted into a passionate kiss, the happiest they had ever been and with all their worries forgotten…

**I ended a chapter on a happy note! How rare is that? Haha! Just want to make something clear, this story is not yet finished! Still a long way to go yet! Haha! But I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	15. Risks, Harris and The Secret Engagement

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

Tia sat up in the bed and she was starting to get worried. Where was Rocket? He should've been with her an hour, maybe 2 hours, ago but he still wasn't there and that made Tia nervous. Simbai noticed this and was in the room keeping an eye on her but gave her some space but even this didn't calm her nerves. She just wanted to see and hold him. Thankfully, her prays were soon answered when the door slowly began to open making Tia take a deep breath of hope and let it out with relief when Rocket appeared in the doorway.

'Rocket,' she muttered thankfully as he entered and smiled when he saw her looking at him as Simbai left to give them some alone time. They never said anything as Rocket went to the opposite side of the bed and was about to sit down on the chair when Tia grabbed his wrists and pulled him on to the bed beside her, wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.'Where were you? I was worried!' Tia said though her voice was slightly muffled against his chest. Rocket laughed lightly as he returned the favour and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back while resting his chin on her head and kissing her forehead once in a while.

'Its ok Tia, I'm here now and I'm fine,' he promised her and she eased back a bit but didn't let go of his warm embrace around her.

'Mei told me what happened. Where did you go?' she asked him worriedly, gently stroking his cheek with her hand and out of emotion, Rocket grabbed it and held her hand tight.

'I just went out to clear my head, get some things straightened out in my mind so to speak. It's just...' Rocket began but stopped suddenly. He continued when Tia squeezed his hand for reassurance. 'Its just really hard watching you all go through this and knowing there's nothing much I can do to help. Not just you, the other girls to, but especially you Tia. I just want things to be back to how they were before,' Rocket confessed and Tia nodded in agreement, tears coming and stinging her eyes as she dug her head into Rocket's chest and held him tight as he did the same. They stayed there for a long while but it was soon starting to get late and Rocket didn't want Tia falling asleep there. 'Come Tia, let's get you ready so you go to my room and spend the night there,' he encouraged and she nodded as Rocket left a kiss onto her head and got her ready...

'I don't think we should tell anyone yet,' Mei confessed as her and D'Jok was cuddling on the bed and she explained this statement to her confused fiancé. 'There's too much going on. With Yuki missing and Tia not Tia... It's just too much right now. It's not the right time yet.' Mei watched D'Jok's expression carefully when he suddenly spoke.

'I agree. It's too much in the current situation but can we at least tell our parents?' he asked and Mei nodded happily before laughing lightly and leant up to kiss him when suddenly...

'D'Jok! Get over here alone NOW!' his Dad demanded on the watch phone making the twosome jump apart like lightning.

'I'm coming now Dad!' D'Jok replied before turning to Mei. 'I'm really sorry...'

'Don't worry D'Jok, go! I'll be fine!' Mei assured him before they gave each other a quick kiss and he went off.

'I'm here,' D'Jok said as he entered the room with the Pirates and Micro-Ice. 'Where's Rocket?'

'Tia's a little nervous and panicky, more so then usual and he couldn't leave her so,' his Dad informed him. Even D'Jok could understand that! Rocket knew when he could and when he couldn't so but D'Jok was here to focus on what was going on around him.

'Fair enough. So what's going on?' he asked and Micro-Ice answered just as Bennett opened his mouth.

'We know who kidnapped the girls. The only problem is, he's secretly involved in Technoid and we can't seem to gather any useful information, just the basics. It seems he does all the heavy work outside of Technoid,' he said and all the Pirates nodded in agreement as Sonny handed D'Jok a photo and what seemed like a bio of a man named Harris. As D'Jok examined the items he had been shown, Micro-Ice was in deep thought when a thought suddenly occurred to him.

'What if we knew someone who could find out more about him, maybe even more top secret stuff?' he questioned and Sonny thought this through with deep consideration before replying with everyone listening intently.

'That could actually Micro-Ice, that's not a bad idea. Who did you have in mind?' Sonny questioned and Micro-Ice smirked before replying.

'I can't say or else my plan won't work! All I need is for D'Jok and Rocket to meet 'me at the front of the Academy first thing tomorrow!' D'Jok nodded to this and Micro-Ice went off to talk to Rocket as everyone else who went off for the night also, lost in their thoughts as to who Micro-Ice could be talking about...

'I'm sorry; let 'me get this straight. You three footballers want 'me to randomly tell you all the information I have about a Technoid executive?' Aduim questioned the three boys in her office trying to find out more information on the man suspected of kidnapping their girlfriend's (well, D'Jok's now fiancée!). The threesome nodded and Aduim looked at them in shock and surprise. 'Does Aarch know you're here?'

'No, we want to keep it between us until we know for certain who he is and we know for certain he is connected in kidnapping the girls,' Rocket replied and Aduim began to think intensively. So they were genuinely serious about this. She looked at them thoughtfully before taking the information they already had from them and looking over it. After finishing reading it, she turned to the three teens and spoke.

'Ok...give 'me an hour to gather the information I can and I will give it to you for no more than 24 hours, do you hear? Come back in an hour and we'll take it from there,' she said firmly and the boys nodded with relief of getting one step closer to finding out what happened to their loved ones...

'You alright there dude? You seem distracted,' D'Jok acknowledged to Rocket who snapped out of his gaze confirming that something was annoying Rocket. Rocket was about to lie and say he fine but he was with the only other two people that could understand what he was going through so he decided to speak up.

'No, I'm not. I don't know if I can take much more of this, not just Tia but all the girls. It's too hard,' Rocket confessed. He was constantly worrying about the girls, all of them but of course he was struggling with Tia. He wasn't going to give up on her until she was his Tia again but it was getting very difficult. Just last night, he had a nightmare about that man that Micro-Ice was telling him about (Tia had fallen asleep by the time Micro-Ice came in to tell Rocket the plans for the next day and showed Rocket the info he had since Tia was asleep) which involved Tia doing horrible things to herself because of him giving her orders through the micro-chip but Tia thought it was the voices making her go crazy and kill herself as Rocket looked on, frozen to the spot. He had barely let go of Tia after that and it pained him leaving her to talk to Adium but knowing it was one step closer to keeping her safe, he went. But he couldn't stop thinking about her and that nightmare.

'Rocket, of course it's hard but we've got to be there for them,' D'Jok tried to convince him but Rocket knew all that and couldn't focus because the nightmare had sent his nervous system into overdrive so he told the other two boys about the dream to give them a better idea of his fears and Micro-Ice was the one who replied surprisingly.

'Dude…it's no wonder you're scared. But they need us and if we put our focus into this then maybe we can prevent that from happening and get Tia back to normal and keep Yuki and Mei sane. Look at it that way,' Micro-Ice said confidently and both D'Jok and Rocket gazed at him in shock. Ever since Yuki had disappeared, everyone had noticed that Micro-Ice had come out of himself and was more confident in himself. It was a side to Micro-Ice no one had seen before but everyone, just like Rocket and D'Jok, they were all finding a new respect for him.

'That's probably the smartest thing that's ever come out of your mouth,' Rocket stated making the three of them laugh. 'Come on guys, we had better go to Aduim and get that information off her…'

'Is everything ok?' Tia asked as she rested her head in Rocket's chest and snuggled into his warm embrace that night as they were preparing to go to sleep. Rocket had done the usual like locking doors and windows so Tia was quite happy but Rocket was unhappy about something, even Tia in her mental state could notice that.

'I'm fine angel, just thinking about things. Nothing to worry about,' he assured her and kissed her forehead when a thought occurred to him. With that in mind, he continued and kissed her cheek before gently pressing his lips to hers though being quite gentle with her to start with even as he gently flipped her around so she was below him and slowly started to make the kiss more passionate. Tia was happy until he started biting on her bottom lip making her suddenly realise his desires.

'Rocket, no,' Tia said firmly but Rocket never moved an inch as he kissed her neck. 'Rocket, please let me go!' she begged and Tia removed his lips and looked her deep in her eyes.

'I love you Tia and I don't want to lose you. I want you; I want to be close to you again. You can do it, I know you can,' Rocket encouraged but Tia still struggled. Rocket didn't want to push it too much but he wasn't giving in that easily either, no matter how unstable she was.

'Rocket…I want you too but I can't, I really can't,' she said firmly. 'Please let me go,' she pleaded again and began breathing heavily so Rocket sat up and helped her to also but wasn't letting her go easily and took her face in his hands and gave her another passionate kiss. However, Tia knew he was still trying to and tried to free herself again and succeeded in doing so but Rocket never let her face go.

'Tia…tell me you love me. Tell me you want to spend the rest of your life with me. Show me you love me. Tia please,' he begged and Tia began to feel tears from the desperation in his voice as well as what was slowly building up in her head.

'I can't.' Rocket wasn't going to give up on her and gripped her tighter.

'Tia…listen to me…not the voices. Look me in the eyes Tia and tell me how _you_ feel, fight the voices Tia I now you can do it!' he encouraged and Tia broke down as she struggled to. She couldn't fight them off, that's why she was stuck in this position. Rocket wasn't going to give up on her though and continued to push her.

'I can't do it Rocket, I can't,' Tia cried but Rocket just held her tighter as he tried to get her to fight off the voices but Tia continued to cry harder.

'Tia, c'mon! Listen to me!' Rocket tried but Tia continued to cry harder when suddenly, the screaming started.

'No…NO! Make it stop…' she continued to cry and cry breaking Rocket's heart but he wasn't giving up. She could fight it, he knew she could. 'MAKE IT STOP!' Tia cried again, lifting her hands and grabbing her hair by the roots which made Rocket panic because it was one of the actions that occurred in the nightmare so he was quick grab her hands and release them from the tight grip on her hair. Tia continued to sob when her eyes suddenly flickered to a panicky Rocket.

'Kill me.'

Micro-Ice was walking down the hallway, still lost in his own thoughts after giving the information to Sonny and was returning to his room, still gutted that he still hadn't found Yuki. Since he was deep in his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed someone else turn a corner and walked into him.

'Ooops!' he said as they both collapsed to the floor and when Micro-Ice looked he found Artie starting to recover. 'Sorry dude, in a world of my own there,' Micro-Ice apologized but Artie shook his head.

'Don't worry Micro, its cool!' Artie assured him and was about to get up when he noticed Micro-Ice not moving an inch. 'She'll be fine Micro-Ice,' Artie assured him, not missing his worries.

'Maybe but it's just a lot of pressure. I don't want her to end up like Tia. I can't even tell the girl I love her never mind protect her like that!' Micro-Ice exclaimed in frustration but Artie could well and truly understand his point.

'Just be there for her, all will fall into place after that,' Artie assured him before getting himself up off the floor. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder for reassurance before heading off leaving Micro-Ice in his own thoughts. Ok…so maybe he wasn't D'Jok or Rocket but he loved Yuki and he was going to protect her, no matter what…

**New chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed what you read! Oh, and review if you did please!**


	16. Who Are You and the Start of Troubles

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Who hates writer's block? I DO!**

Rocket gulped hard at Tia's 'request' as he realised just how bad her mental state was.

'No Tia. I can't. But you can fight through this,' Rocket told her firmly but only made her cry harder in a tone that would haunt him forever.

'No...' she sobbed but Rocket still held her tight though he was beginning to struggle. 'Kill me...KILL ME!' Tia screamed but before Rocket could respond; her hands suddenly went limp by her side as well as the rest of her body when she suddenly collapsed on to the bed.

'TIA!' Rocket yelped and sprung forward, immediately pressing his ear on to her chest to make sure there was a heart beat-there was one, thankfully. She was just unconscious. Rocket didn't know what to do then. He considered calling one of the guys or Dame Simbai but what was he going to say to them? That he had pushed his mentally unstable girlfriend to a point where she had begged him to kill her and then collapsed? No. Rocket couldn't tell them that. Making a quick decision, he placed his lover back under the covers and pulled her close, just allowing her room to breathe as he hoped and prayed that Tia would wake up in the morning and no permanent damage would occur...

Micro-Ice sat in his room staring at the information Adium had given them and what he had read through so far was useless. He was no closer to finding his adorable Yuki. He just wanted her back, to see her golden smile that could light up a room and to hear her adorable laugh. Was it so much to ask? Fighting back tears, he continued to scan through the information when he suddenly felt a shadow over tower him from behind...

'SONNY!' he yelped when he sprung round and almost fell off the chair making Sonny have to bite his tongue to prevent any laughs escaping. 'Now I know where D'Jok gets it from...' Micro-Ice muttered whilst trying to catch his breath back. 'What are you doing here?'

'I came to talk to you about Yuki's disappearance...' At that moment, Micro-Ice felt his heart fall to the floor at the thought of his missing girlfriend. 'Look Micro-Ice, unless something liable comes up until then, we're going to have to wait until the day she comes home. That's all we can do. We haven't got anything to pin point where she is or who's behind it. If we come up with any new evidence, depending on what it is we may continue but for now Micro-Ice, your best bet is to sit and wait. That's all you can do.' Both of them sighed heavily as Micro-Ice consumed the information he had been given.

'Ok...so...we wait until the given day she's to return unless something comes up, am I right?' he questioned Sonny who nodded before glancing at the documents and suddenly getting up, taking the documents in his hands.

'What I will do is get Bennett to do a copy of these and then look at them in closer detail. Once he hacks into Technoid he'll be able to get the low down on what he's done in more detail. All the top secret stuff needs to be searched with specific keywords which are in here so don't lose hope yet!' Sonny encouraged his son's best friend who thought what about what Sonny said for a moment before speaking.

'But isn't that illegal? Stealing top secret stuff from Technoid...' Micro-Ice drifted off when he realised what he was saying a loud and Sonny gave him a look. 'Never mind...'

Mei giggled against D'Jok's lips as they continued their making out session. D'Jok was careful. He knew how far to push her and he knew how far he could push his boundaries with her. So with that in mind, D'Jok let one hand slide down her body and she never resisted him. 'D'Jok...' she began as he kissed down her smooth marble neck. '...do you want kids?' In an instant, D'Jok's lips were away from her neck and he was now sitting on her thighs, gazing at her in shock at the sudden question. Mei wasn't sure how to respond to his reaction so stayed silent and continued to gaze at him. D'Jok was also unable to speak due to the fact he wasn't expecting this question. He gulped hard as he tried to think of an answer. He genuinely hadn't thought about having kids with Mei as his mind was focused on other things so he didn't really know how to answer. However, it appeared he wouldn't have to... All of sudden, Mei looked over his shoulder and let out a piercing scream making D'Jok spring round.

'Dad!' D'Jok breathed out as he sighed with relief and as did Mei. They still couldn't get used to his Dad sneaking up on them. 'What are you doing here?' D'Jok asked as he got off Mei to let her sit up.

'Just checking up on you guys, making sure everything's ok. You know, seeing how the future newlyweds are doing!' Sonny said innocently as Mei and D'Jok exchanged looks.

'Yeah Dad, thanks,' D'Jok muttered when Sonny decides to voice that he sensed the tense air after Mei's question.

'Everything alright kiddos?' he asked the young lovers who exchanged uncertain looks before D'Jok answered.

'Yeah Dad, everything's fine,' he assured his father. 'Just...thinking about something,' he gulped. Looking between the young couple, Sonny acknowledged the looks and decided to take matters into his own hands.

'Ok! But D'Jok, can I take you away from your very gorgeous fiancée for five minutes please?' Sonny asked him and he nodded before kissing Mei's forehead and going off to a dreaded father/son talk he knew was coming...

_The next morning..._

When Rocket woke up, he never moved from Tia's side. He just sat there and watched her sleep. She was breathing thankfully but whether or not she would wake up was a different story. He could only hope she would. He had no idea what had happened but he was aware that he had pushed her stability to the limit. She couldn't go back any further. They were back in square one all over again. Just as he thought that last thought, Tia stirred when very slowly she opened her eyes, a dazed look on her face.

'Tia...are you ok?' Rocket asked her as he slowly leaned over but was careful to give her some space to breathe. Tia never spoke and looked around her, breathing heavily. Suddenly, her gaze flickered to Rocket with fear in her eyes. 'Tia?' Rocket questioned her and she quickly sat up and moved away from him, her expression crawling with fear and when she spoke, he discovered why.

'Who are you?'

D'Jok lay there the next morning while Mei was still asleep in his arms and began to think of the conversation he had had with his father the previous night...

_Flashback_

'I didn't want kids at all when I first started dating your mum,' Sonny said suddenly and D'Jok was unsure if he wanted to hear this but allowed his Dad to voice his opinion anyways.

'Really? Why?' he questioned his mysterious father curiously.

'Too much hassle. It's not what I thought I wanted. I thought science and you're mother was all I wanted and needed. But then she got pregnant with you and when it hit me that I was going to be a Dad...I loved that feeling. And I still do. Even when I thought you had died alongside your mother in that crash, I still loved you as your father and that hasn't changed. Basically what I'm saying is that even if you don't or don't know if you want kids; that will all change when she says those words. I'll never forget that moment. And neither will you! Just trust me D'Jok.' D'Jok gazed at his father in shock as he realised just how much having him had changed his father's life. Maybe having kids wasn't such a bad idea after all...

_End of flashback_

Mei waking up disturbed his thoughts and he smiled as her eyes met with his. Smiling at each other, they locked lips in a strong kiss which went on for a few moments before they cuddled into each other's arms.

'You still haven't answered my question,' Mei stated a while later and looked up to note his reaction.

'I have to be honest Mei, I haven't thought about it much but...I would like to have a family with you one day. In the future that is. I'm just not ready to be a father yet...' D'Jok told her earnestly and prepared for a reaction but was surprised when he meant up and kissed him passionately on the lips for a few moments.

'I'd like that!' she replied excitedly and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before breaking away. 'D'Jok...would you forgive me I ever hurt you though not purposely? I would never hurt you on purpose but if I accidentally did, would you forgive me?' she asked randomly and despite being confused, D'Jok answered.

'Of course I would forgive you! I'll never be able to stay mad at you forever Mei!' D'Jok promised her. She smiled before giving him a passionate kiss which soon turned into a good make-out session but little did they know, D'Jok would soon struggle to keep that promise...

'No Tia! It's me, Rocket! You're boyfriend! You can't forget Tia! I love you and you love me! Come on Tia!' Rocket exclaimed, grabbing her face into his hands but she shoved them away and backed away from him.

'Get away from me!' she yelled at him. 'If you were who you claim you are, I would've remembered!' Tia pointed out fearfully and Rocket gazed at her in shock. She can't remember who he is! Then she continued. 'Where am I? What do you want from me?'

'Tia, you're in Aarch Academy! You're in my room, your boyfriend's room! The person you love and the one person who would give up anything for you! Come on Tia please, remember!' Rocket pushed as he felt the tears coming. She couldn't remember him and God only knows what else she had forgotten. This couldn't be happening, not after all they had been through. Tia continued to look at him in shock when a thought suddenly occurred to Rocket and he took the photo of his nightstand. 'Look Tia...this is us. Together, just a few months ago at my parents house. We love each other Tia, please don't forget that!' Tia slowly took the photo from his hands and gazed at it thoughtfully. The photo was of a family party at Rocket's parent's house and it had been with his parents, her parents, Aarch and Aduim and whilst they had sneaked off, Keira had followed the youngsters and captured that stunning picture of the couple leaning in to kiss, eyes dreamily closed with smiles on their faces and arms wrapped around each other.

'No...I'd remember...' Tia muttered as she fell back against the wall and gazed at it for a few more moments. 'How do know this isn't a hoax? That you really are my boyfriend?'

'Trust me Tia. You always have, don't stop now. Please. Let me help you,' he begged and she stated at him before making a decision.

'I want more proof. But for now, I want you to show me someone who can tell me why I can't remember you if this isn't all a hoax,' she ordered and Rocket nodded, continuing to fight back the tears as he realised he may have caused an even bigger problem than before...and it was all his fault...

**Finally! An update! Stupid writer's block -.- Anyways, quick notice to Mei x D'Jok fans, this chapter seeks the start of a particular plot for the couple which will be discovered in the next chapter so many more moments of them to go! Will update when I can do review if you enjoyed! **


	17. Guilt, Hits and Shockers

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

A few days on and Tia still couldn't remember anything but had learned to trust Simbai though not quite Rocket, Yuki was still missing though set to reappear in just a few hours and things with Mei were...different. In what way even D'Jok couldn't figure out but he knew the cause. They all had been told by Simbai that Tia couldn't remember anything. She herself had questioned Tia about things in relation to the kidnapping but she couldn't remember and Rocket refused to tell anyone how she had lost her memory so they knew it was his fault in someday and dropped it. Since Tia only trusted Simbai, no one else was allowed to see her except for Rocket also but he was only allowed if Simbai was there with him or Tia was asleep. Speaking of, guilt-stricken Rocket never spoke or even looked at anyone and no one had seen him eating. Simbai had secretly informed them though that she was also treating Rocket who had been caught multiple times throwing up and had even fainted once due to lack of food. Despite Simbai's continuous warnings and pleads, he continued and was now stuck in Simbai's permanent care. He was stuck on a permanent drip and was almost at the point to being force fed but would eventually eat. However, most if the time, he would throw it all back up five minutes later and all of this was due to the fact that the woman he loved couldn't remember him. So since Tia was suffering from amnesia, Rocket was totally distraught and suffering from depression, Yuki being missing and Micro-Ice silently suffering over her kidnapping, there was only two people left to help with the Pirates investigation of the kidnapping-Mei and D'Jok. And after what had happened with Tia, the Pirates were more determined now more than ever to find out the truth behind the kidnapping and Mei was their only hope which D'Jok knew and took his father's side as they sat in a small room with Mei sitting uncomfortably on the opposite side of them. Taking her hand in his comfortably, spoke.

'Mei...you have to help us. Tia can't remember anything and Rocket won't tell us how that happened. We need you to tell us so it won't happen to you also. To protect you Mei, tell us. Please,' he begged and Mei eyed him carefully and flickered quickly to his Dad from time to time. Finally, she spoke.

'No-'

'Don't Mei!' D'Jok snapped and both Sonny and Mei were surprised by the outburst, as well as D'Jok but when it came to Mei and her safety, he did all kinds of crazy stuff. 'I'm not taking no for an answer Mei! I know you want to tell us so tell us!' he pleaded and Mei's face turned angry.

'I can't D'Jok! The voices won't let me!' she yelled back, silent sobs seeping through. Sonny took control of the situation this time however.

'Ignore them Mei, you can do it! Listen to us and tell me what's going on!' Sonny ordered but the struggle was too great for Mei. She couldn't fight against the voices; if she could've, she would have told them by now.

'I can't do it. I can't tell you and neither can Tia and neither will Yuki. So just drop it,' Mei said firmly but both men were stubborn and you had to be when you were the leader of the Pirates.

'Mei, we're not moving from here until we get some answers. And we will get them, that's a promise,' Sonny said firmly in his typical leader type voice giving D'Jok shivers but did nothing with Mei as she stood up angrily.

'NO! I can't and I won't tell you! If you actually cared for me then maybe you would've realised that!' she screamed and began to storm out when D'Jok jumped up and grabbed her wrist and all that happened after that was a blur.

He was about to speak and plead her to stop and talk to him when she flipped round and all of a sudden, D'Jok was knocked to the ground; nose pumping blood. Where she had gotten that strength from he had no idea. D'Jok was in total shock and couldn't believe Mei had actually attacked him and was still fighting against Sonny to get at him. He couldn't comprehend it at all really. It was so...unexpected. Yes their feelings towards each other had been a little of since the 'baby's' discussion but they were still happy together and loved each other. Then all of a sudden, she switches to a psycho? Nothing made any sense to D'Jok at all anymore. As he lay there in shock, Mei continued to fight against Sonny who brought her out into the hallway and let her go finally but she only sobbed as appose to scream and hit at him.

'Sonny...I can't do it! I can't hurt him anymore!' she yelled whilst sobbing hard. Sonny was even more confused by this statement then he ever was before. Anymore? What was she doing to hurt him before? They seemed fine overall. Sonny made it his responsibility to discuss the subject with his son at a later date but he had other matters to attend to first.

'Mei...' he said gently as he bent down to be eye level with her. '...go and get some rest. D'Jok will be fine, I promise you. He won't be mad. Just go and calm down and we can talk later but we'll leave the kidnapping subject for now. No go, sleep!' Sonny persisted to his future daughter-in-law. She smiled slightly as he helped her up and then watched her go. He wasn't dropping the kidnapping subject but he was going to figure out a way to question her indirectly. Making he could confuse the voices to get the information he wanted? He kept a hold on that thought tightly as he went back into the small room to care for his son who was starting to overcome his shock...

Gently stroking her platinum blond locks as she slept peacefully, heartbroken Rocket lay gazing at her dreamy face. Although still with the drip in his hand and whatever that was piped to, his mind was on Tia and he could only get this close to her as she slept so he took it and always was close when she was sleeping.

He always said that losing her would kill me and he had practically lost her. She couldn't remember him and she may never will. That was heartbreaking for him of course and since he had lost her, his statement was coming true as slowly it was killing him and the guilt of causing this problem didn't help at all. He couldn't live without her.

He continued to gaze at her lovingly and stroke her hair when the door suddenly opened and in rushed Simbai with D'Jok though they were both quiet enough so not to wake Tia. After just a few moments, Rocket suddenly realised why they were here (he was usually left alone with Tia whilst she slept) when he saw D'Jok's face covered in blood and couldn't pin point the exact injury due to this.

'What the hell happened to you?' Rocket gasped as Simbai lead her patient over to another bed and Rocket sat up but was careful not to wake Tia. He received no answer at first because Simbai was clearing his face and bandaged him up and that's when Rocket realised that it was both his nose and mouth that were the injury's. How that happened though, he didn't know. When Simbai was finished, she handed D'Jok something for pain and then left the two distraught lovers and a sleeping Tia to give them some room. They never said anything when she left as D'Jok buried his face in his hands. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Rocket was about to speak when suddenly, D'Jok did.

'How do you do it?' he asked, making Rocket dead confused.

'How do I do what?'

'Tia!' he said and looked up at his teammates/friends face. Both could see the exact same thing in each other's eyes: torment. 'How can you handle her when she goes crazy? How can you do it? Mei snapped and lost control once and look what happened to me! Tia's gone crazy many times and you always come out unscathed and she's calm. How Rocket, how do you do that?'

'Mei did that to you?' Rocket couldn't comprehend some of what D'Jok was saying fully because it came across so positive and confident-quite the opposite of to what was really going on. D'Jok nodded sadly sending Rocket's body in to shock. When he finally overcame that shock, he looked down at the woman he loved sleeping peacefully and gave D'Jok the truth. 'I can't cope, that's the thing. I had to be strong for her when she would freak out and I was so focused on keeping her calm that I had no time to worry. But now she can't remember me and it's my entire fault. We have been through so much together and it's all over. I can't cope with it; you've seen what's been happening to me. I can't do it.' D'Jok had to admit he was shocked to hear this. He envied Rocket for being able to handle it (or so he thought) and envied Tia for, well...everything. He didn't want Mei to go what Tia had been through because he silently feared he couldn't handle it and now realised that the voices had control over the girls, not the bots or even the girls themselves anymore. D'Jok didn't know if he could handle it and Rocket was certain he couldn't handle anything more which was why this situation was slowly killing him on top of the guilt for causing it.

'Rocket...' D'Jok began as he felt a twinge of, surprisingly, anger at what Rocket had said. '...all you want is what's best for Tia. She would want you to help her remember, not give up on her. You can make her remember if you try, she just needs something to trigger the memory. Don't give up, you can't for her sake.' Rocket looked at D'Jok in shock and surprise but knew he had made an excellent point. He had given up on her even though he promised her he never would until she was his Tia again. But he planned to reverse that ASAP the second D'Jok made that speech.

'You shouldn't give up on Mei either,' Rocket said firmly, his confident and determined side back once more. 'There's no guarantees she'll end up like Tia. Ok, so she freaked out once but that took ages and now you know not what to do in case it happens again. She is sorry but you have to remember the voices and the micro-chip D'Jok. There's a lot of power there. But you can overpower it or help her to. Just be careful of how you do it. Trust me on that.' Both distraught lovers realised that they had given up on their loved one's but had shown each other the truth and what was right. They also realised that the other wasn't so bad after all...

Shortly after that, D'Jok left to talk to Mei whilst Rocket had an idea and was looking for Simbai when she suddenly entered the room to check on Tia before he had a chance to go out and look. In an instant, he was over at her though struggles a little with drip in his harm and everything else he had.

'Simbai! I need your help with something!' he said and she nodded, standing in an upright position to show she was listening intently. 'An hour. Alone with Tia in my room. Just one hour, that's all I'm asking. I know saying 'in my room alone with her' sounds suspicious but I have an idea that might help her remember. Please Simbai, convince her to come. I'm begging. This could be my last chance.' They both knew that was true. He may never get to be with her again should his plan not work. It may happen but Rocket knew he wouldn't last that long should it take time for her to trust him let alone be with him. On top of all that, she wouldn't remember all the special moments shared together. And that thought hurt him.

'Rocket, it's very risky-'

'I can handle it. Just trust me Simbai; I know what I'm doing.' He was about to add 'you know I would never do anything that would put her in danger' but then remembered that he had pushed her to begging him to kill her and was now the reason for her amnesia so he thought it best to leave that part out. Simbai looked at him with uncertainty before sighing.

'Fine. I will talk to her but if she refuses, no way. One hour and that is all,' she said firmly and Rocket nodded whilst preparing to seize his last chance with her with both hands. But how the hell was he going to get his mentally unstable girlfriend suffering from amnesia to trust him...?

D'Jok quietly opened the door to his room and was starting to get a little fearful when she wasn't there. She wasn't there; she wasn't in the lounge, in her room... He couldn't find her anywhere. He couldn't call his Dad since he was away awaiting Yuki's return with the Pirates and Micro-Ice so he decided to go and look again only a little harder this time.

Once again, he checked the lounge and her room-nothing. Then he asked whoever he saw-nothing. Then he re-checked all the rooms and some other rooms where she was unlikely to be-nothing. Now he was beginning to panic. He took a few breaths of fresh air as he walked outside to try and calm his breath. She had to be somewhere, she couldn't have just vanished. After a few moments, he decided to go back into the Academy but as he turned back to re-enter, something on the roof caught his attention. Looking up, he found Mei standing on the roof of the Academy...

**An update! And hate to break it to Tia/Rocket or Mei/D'Jok fans but the next chapter the all Micro-Ice/Yuki chapter unfortunately for you guys so you'll have to wait two more chapters for the next! But once the Micro-Ice/Yuki chapter is finished, things start to get particularly interesting…**


	18. Different Love for MicroIceYuki

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football! **

'It's ok Micro-Ice, calm down. She'll be here in less than five minutes just take deep breaths,' Sonny told his son's nervous best friend who was pacing like crazy whilst awaiting the return of his girlfriend. Micro-Ice was nervous. Beyond nervous. He was scared. Scared of everything; losing her, letting her go crazy like Tia, losing her memory and everything else. Things had changed from when they got together, things had changed from when Tia went missing and things had changed since he last saw her. How he was going to handle everything now scared him.

'I guess you're right Sonny...' he muttered before sighing. Sensing something was up, Sonny turned to question him but Micro-Ice answered his unanswered question. 'I really like Yuki and this whole ordeal has made me realise just how much. I think I love her but...how the hell am I supposed to protect her when I can't even tell her that?'

'Micro-Ice...you're a lot more than you give yourself credit for. It's perfectly normal for you to be scared but you shouldn't sell yourself so short because you are capable,' Sonny assured the young, fretful teen who was rather unsure of Sonny's statement.

'Rocket and D'Jok are the strong, confident and perfect boyfriends and players! I'm the joker of the team and having fun with Yuki is all I've ever known! I don't do all the dinner stuff and I don't know how to take control, it's just not me!' Micro-Ice exclaimed as he took a quick glimpse at the clock. Almost three minutes.

'Just do what you do best and what feels right. If you do that, being the type of boyfriend or team player like D'Jok or Rocket won't matter,' Sonny stated before turning back to the screen leaving a speechless Micro-Ice to stare at his back in shock.

Micro-Ice shuffled his feet as the last twenty second countdown began.

'Alright, here we go. Everyone on standby,' Sonny announced as they watched the screen monitors. Sonny had multiple Pirates everywhere. Sonny and Bennett (along with Micro-Ice) were on the main deck watching the TV monitors whilst Artie was down with other Pirates on standby in case anything happened and were carefully watching another group of Pirates who were all set and ready to grab and take Yuki to safety as quick as possible. Corso and two other top Pirates were hiding in the distance, watching and waiting for anything unusual and to see if they could see anything to help with the kidnappings. It was like a full military operation which in ways, it kind of was. Suddenly, Sonny's voice could be heard through the entire Pirates's ear pieces. 'And in 3, 2, 1...' In the instant Sonny finished, the screen the three were monitoring suddenly went clear showing nothing for only a few seconds and sure enough, when it came back on, Yuki was found lying unconscious sending many different emotions through Micro-Ice's body. 'Go people! Go! Go! Go!' Sonny yelled making Micro-Ice jump out of his skin and looked to find a small group of about 4 or 5 Pirates running out, taking hold of Yuki and gently bringing her in. Awaiting Sonny's orders, Micro-Ice remained where he was despite wanting to just run and hold Yuki after seeing her and being aware of her presence close by. But Sonny had asked him to stay until he was granted permission and Micro-Ice agreed and did not want to disobey the Pirate leader's orders. He began tapping his foot impatiently whilst Sonny tried to get it touch with Corso to see if he had discovered anything of need-to-know about the kidnapping.

'Hey, Bennett. I know this may be a bit to ask but is there any chance you can change a screen to show me what's going on with Yuki right now please?' Micro-Ice asked as the plan formulated in his mind. Sonny told him not to leave; he wasn't leaving so he thought nothing wrong of it.

'Sure dude!' Bennett replied as he typed in a pass to get through the cameras so his young mate could see and with a few moments, he was through and Micro-Ice could now see Yuki, lying unconscious on a bed somewhere close by with a blanket around her and someone checking her pulse and things like that.

'Thanks dude,' Micro-Ice thanked Bennett who replied with a nod before swinging his chair over to a different monitor to both give Micro-Ice some peace and to examine the video footage caught to see if anything of interest could be found. After about 5 minutes, whilst Bennett was continuing to examine the most recent reappearing footage, Sonny suddenly fell silent and sighed before approaching Micro-Ice. He tried to hide the grim expression on his face and he was hiding it quite well but Micro-Ice wasn't so slow and could see through it. He had been best friends with this man's son for years; he knew all the tricks and trades and knew exactly where D'Jok got it from.

'If you want to go and see Yuki now, you may. Just be careful and remember what I told you!' Sonny said, smiling the same fake smile D'Jok used when he was secretly unhappy about something and trying to hide it. However, this news was far too great for Micro-Ice to really care what was bothering Sonny (may sound selfish but true) and bolted out of the room as fast as he could and raced to the room where Artie had told him Yuki would be placed earlier on.

He bolted in to the room to find Artie and another Pirate in the room and turned towards the door swishing open as he entered the room. Artie remained where he was as the other Pirate stood up to leave giving Micro-Ice full sight of Yuki, lying unconscious on the bed. Mixed emotions spread through his body as he saw this. Micro-Ice approached and sat by Yuki's bedside as the Pirate left the room leaving Artie behind also with the young couple.

'How you holding up mate?' Artie asked his friend after a few moments of a dazed silence. Well, dazed on Micro-Ice's behalf and more awkward on Artie's side. Micro-Ice shrugged his shoulders sluggishly before replying.

'Fine right now I guess but ask me again when she wakes up and I have to help stop her from doing a Tia and going crazy!' Micro-Ice exclaimed, not being aware of Mei and D'Jok's recent bump, and Artie took the hint and kept silent.

'I'll leave you be now but let me know if you need me, I'll be close by. Always there for a friend in need I am!' Artie joked, trying to lighten up the mood and was delighted to hear a small laugh escape from Micro-Ice's lips. He gave his young friend and wink before he left the room so Micro-Ice could get his head straight for when Yuki woke up.

Micro-Ice watched her sleep peacefully with the thought of how he was going to help her vivid in his mind. He had an idea in his head that could help them both in some way, should the feeling be mutual, but what Micro-Ice was struggling with was how to come to terms with his fear of her not returning the feeling. He couldn't tell her, that was the problem.

Many and many more thoughts swirled in his mind for an on-going half an hour when after what seemed like forever to Micro-Ice, Yuki suddenly turned round in the bed facing the wall when he noticed her eyes slowly open. He said nothing and waited for her to realise his presence on her own which she did after a few moments and turned to face him, her eyes darker than usual freaking Micro-ice out a little but he pulled himself together to support her.

'Yuki,' Micro-Ice couldn't help but breathe out with relief. At that moment, he didn't care what their relationship had been like before. He didn't care about what could happen in the future. All he cared about was the fact that she was lying there, looking at him and they were together. The feeling of immense pleasure filled his body especially when she gave him a sweet smile.

'Hey!' she welcomed before looking around her as she sat up in the bed she was lying on to figure out where she was. In seeing her confusion, Micro-Ice jumped in.

'You're with the Pirates, you're safe now,' he assured her and she gave him a sweet smile before Micro-Ice asked the question he didn't want to ask. 'What happened?' He didn't want to ask that question because he plain and simply didn't want to know. He also didn't want Yuki to revisit anything (if anything) she remembered but he had to know so they could help all the girls. Still, that somehow didn't make asking her the dreaded question any easier but he was relieved to see that Yuki could answer whatever she could without any hesitation; unlike Mei and Tia.

'All I can remember is taking a shortcut to meet Mum and Dad and stumbled across an alleyway. That's all I can remember to when I woke up here. Is there something I'm supposed to remember?' she said and Micro-Ice raised his eyebrows. He knew from the Pirates, Rocket and D'Jok that Mei and Tia knew bits of what happened during the kidnapping; Tia had suffered a massive freak-out many times because of it. So why was it that Yuki couldn't remember anything at all…?

'No, it's fine. It's just… You know what, forget it! We can sort it out another time but right now I'm just so happy you're back!' Micro-Ice exclaimed with relief and Yuki couldn't help the giggle escape from her mouth which immediately made Micro-Ice smile.

'I'm happy to be back! It's been…' Yuki drifted off when she realised she had no clue as to how long she had been missing for and suddenly realised that she couldn't remember how long Mei or Tia had been missing for. It had been the same length of time but what confused her was she couldn't remember exactly how long it was. Weird.

'Two days. 48 hours. You've been here for exactly fifteen minutes and twenty seconds. Twenty-one…' Micro-Ice said and despite the seriousness on her face, Yuki burst in to hysterically laughter as she couldn't really believe how desperate he was for her return. It not only shocked her but made her happy to have him since he clearly cared so much. In hearing Yuki's laugh, Micro-Ice also burst in to laughter. Her laugh could make angels weep and everyone else smile and he had missed it dearly. After a few moments, their laughter died down when Yuki spoke again.

'What happened to Mei and Tia when they came back? I can't remember,' she said and Micro-Ice's eyes widened in shock. Mei hadn't forgotten what had happened to Tia and they knew more than what Yuki did about the actual kidnapping… Something different had occurred with Yuki and Micro-Ice was freaked.

'You mean you can't remember?' Micro-Ice exclaimed in shock. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder.

'Should I?' Yuki asked worriedly, now beginning to get a little frightened.

'Don't worry about it Yuki, I just thought you might remember. I'll tell you,' Micro-Ice explained as he popped himself next to her on the bed and explained all that had happened from the beginning. Clearly Yuki hadn't expected or even remembered what had happened to Tia. She was one of, if not the, strongest person on the team. It freaked Yuki out, no doubt. She knew something was up with Mei. No, Mei wasn't as freaky or crazy as Tia was but something was bugging her and Yuki's gut instincts were telling Mei would crack at some point and something bad would happen. It would be even worse as it's unexpected; at least Tia people knew and expected it. Yuki could only hope she would be ok.

'Are you alright?' Micro-Ice asked at the end of the explanation. Truthfully, Yuki was in shock. Unbeknown to her, she already knew all this but she was finding it hard to take all the information in right now. It was almost too much to comprehend.

'I'm fine, just a little shocked, that's all,' Yuki admitted and Micro-Ice gulped before considering a thought, and then wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He braced himself for awkwardness or for her to push him away, he wouldn't usually act like this despite being her boyfriend, but surprisingly enough she just folded in to his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him in response and cuddled into his chest, relieved to have the comfort and Micro-Ice was surprised by this but held her close anyways as it brought a sense of calmness to him.

They stayed like that for what seemed like ages in silence before they began to chat and were soon back to their usual teasing and joking as Yuki lay in his lap. They were happy right now and nothing could change that. At least that's what Yuki thought.

'Yuki…can I ask you something on a serious note?' Micro-Ice asked and Yuki raised her eyebrows. It was rare Micro-Ice wanted to talk 'serious' so she was both scared and curious combined but nodded anyways as her curiosity overcame her. 'If I told you something really serious and personal, do you promise not to laugh?' Yuki struggled to hold back the giggle that threatened to escape from her mouth. When he said things like that and when you could see the awkwardness/seriousness in his face combined, it was kind of hard _not_ to laugh.

'How serious and personal is it?' Yuki asked wearily and Micro-Ice gulped before answering.

'That I'm literally confessing everything I've ever felt for anyone to you,' Micro-Ice admitted, now getting extremely nervous and feeling rather awkward. Yuki noticed this but kept a serious expression (but she was secretly laughing inside) as not to make him feel more uncomfortable than she already was.

'Ok then… What is it?' she asked and Micro-Ice gulped before confessing.

'Ok, it wasn't until this whole kidnapping thing started I realised that I might and then when you got kidnapped I realised I really did! Basically what I'm saying is…I love you,' Micro-Ice stammered out and braced himself for her to run or go all awkward or something but her reaction was not what he was expecting. He looked down for a few moments but when nothing happened, he looked up slowly to see her smiling at him sweetly, blushing slightly so he raised his head completely and before he could find his voice, she leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips. His eyes widened like saucers at the action but he enjoyed it and smiled with relief when they broke away.

'I love you too,' she said cheekily making him smile wider. It wasn't how he sometimes imagined maybe Tia saying it to Rocket. He knew how they said it as whenever you walked past Rocket's bedroom door, you could hear them both declaring their love for each other and screaming each other's names at the top of their lungs as they made love to each other. And usually when one would declare their love vocally, you could hear the groans from the one that said it grow louder as the other showed them some appreciation. Mei and D'Jok were exactly the same, only…louder. _Much_ louder.

As Yuki smiled sweetly at him and plonked herself back on to his lap, Micro-Ice realised something. No, he wasn't the kind of serious and strong and confident boyfriend like Rocket or D'Jok. No, he and Yuki didn't make love to each other but they didn't need to. They had their own ways of expression their love like through jokes and teasing each other and having fun without going on romantic dinners or walks in the park. They had their own kind of love which meant something to them. People may not see it as 'love' but they themselves knew how they felt and knew how to express it in their way which was all that really mattered. They were in love.

They just had a different love.

**FINALLY! AN UPDATE! Seems like forever since I've updated this! Probably because it is…. Anyways, in order to show my sincere apology to all you PP fans, I have a one-shot that I'm finishing (Based after season 1 with both Rocket/Tia AND Mei/D'Jok plus other couple's moments) so once I'm finished that, I will get to work on the next PP chapter and we will find out what has happened to the other two couples and see what will happen to Micro-Ice/Yuki! Hope you guys enjoyed this one and you can expect an update within the next week (hopefully!)!**


	19. Voices Here, There and Everywhere

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

Rocket sat on the bed impatiently waiting for Simbai to bring Tia round. Tia had agreed thankfully on the condition he gave her some answers which was true; he would do that. So he was now impatiently waiting for her in his room whilst trying to grip the pain of his hand. The drip was rather painful as out of his fret to find things to re-jog his girlfriend's memory, he had whacked his hand against something and he had moved out of place slightly, causing immense pain. He really should've gone to Dame Simbai but when it came to Tia, nothing else mattered. Especially in their current situation.

Suddenly, a knock on the door announced someone looking to come in and Rocket was quick to open the door. Relief filled his body when he saw Tia standing there next to Dame Simbai who guided Tia in a few steps before speaking.

'You have an hour's max,' she said firmly and Rocket nodded and she winked at him before heading off leaving the couple alone at last. Tia wanted answers and got straight to the point as she sat herself next to him on the bed.

'Ok then, what is it you can tell me?' Tia pushed and Rocket took a deep breath before trying to get his girlfriend of nearly 5 years to remember him.

'I want to show you something first...' he announced before turning to his other side and taking out...Tia's camera. 'Do you know what this is?' he asked and Tia looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

'Ehh...a video camera?' Tia said, questioning it as her way of asking how stupid did he think she is. Still, the answer wasn't what Rocket was hoping for. 'What has a stupid video camera got to do with anything?' she exclaimed and Rocket's heart fell to the floor as this wasn't the Tia he knew and loved. But he wasn't giving up.

'It's not the camera we're interested in, it's what's on it,' Rocket told her and she slowly nodded as she waited for him to show her what it was he wanted to show her.

He turned on the camera and pressed play and showed it to her. She took it wearily to find a video (Rocket's favourite) of the two lying on snow with Rocket holding the camera above them. It was a nice enough day for Akillian and the couple celebrated it down at Rocket's cave. Tia got plenty video shots of him when they weren't joking or kissing or messing with the ball and Rocket somehow convinced Tia on letting him get some of her but Rocket soon realised they hadn't any at all of them both together so Rocket took the camera off her and got one.

They were lying there, joking and teasing each other like they usually would. Tia was making smart remarks as she turned the camera screen round to face them (which her boyfriend couldn't figure out) so Rocket could get the aim right and capture them both. They laughed hard at this when Rocket suddenly blurted out something along the lines of saying that he was looking at Beauty and the Beast in the camera screen. Tia laughed at this and told he wasn't the Beast; that he was too handsome for that to which Rocket joked by saying he was beauty, not beast making Tia laugh harder. Rocket then told her he was joking and he really was the beast to which she replied he was Prince Charming to her which earned her a kiss and soon lead to much more...detailed passion. But in basic words, that kiss soon becomes their first time to ever make love in his cave but this was not caught on camera as Rocket had the camera turned off tenths of a second before he took her shirt off. It was definitely a memorable day and he hoped that video would trigger one thing and lead to more. It was a perfect example of their relationship.

'I would remember...' Tia muttered as the screen turned blue signalling the end of the video. She was sure that if she truly loved this guy, she would remember him. Of course she would've!

'Tia...I know you may think it's weird you've forgotten me and think you would've remembered if it were something to remember. But tell me...who's your favourite band?' he asked. He knew the answer, he had been forced to listen through every one of their albums hundreds of time and knew every song of theirs through Tia maybe humming different song of theirs to him whilst trying to sleep or putting it on whilst getting her drunk. Those are only some of the examples. Tia looked at him and opened he mouth to answer but closed it again as she realised something...she couldn't remember it! Then Rocket continued. 'Your favourite colour? Your parent's names? Where you grew up? What did you did as a kid? All these things people would know Tia...can you remember anything?' He was starting to get desperate. He couldn't live if she didn't remember him. There had to be something left to trigger her memory, there had to be and Rocket had to find it.

'No...' Tia muttered, shaking her head and starting to panic as she was starting to get confused about everything. 'This doesn't make any sense...'

'I know Tia, but you need to try and remember. I'm doing what I can to help but I need you to help me!' he begged, the desperate plea visible in his voice. Thankfully, she nodded but with a dazed look on her face as she was unsure of what to think of it all. Rocket jumped up and opened one of the drawers before taking out a photo album. He began flicking through it as he sat down with Tia looking on impatiently as she wanted answers. 'This...this first one that was ever taken of the two of us; my house after we went out on our first date to your favourite restaurant down the road from Planet Akillian. I took that one and then you took that one below it at the party after we won the Second Cup. Tell me you remember Tia, please!' he begged and watched as she gazed at the photo. He could tell she was trying to remember anything and he could only hope she would remember something at least. Please let her remember he though when Tia finally gave her verdict.

'I can't...' She was unable to finish her statement as Rocket had swiftly planted his lips on hers in a passionate kiss because Rocket couldn't bear the thought of her finishing her heartbreaking sentence. Tia's eyes widened like saucers and Rocket felt her hands on his chest, preparing to push him away but suddenly, she relaxed and as her eyes drifted closed, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his around her waist in response and pulled her to him as they melted into of the most passionate kisses they had ever shared. Rocket was unsure of what this meant as they slowly broke away whilst breathing heavily and gazed at each other for a few moments when Tia suddenly spoke.

'Rocket...'

Fear spread through D'Jok's body as he saw her and in an instant he was back inside the Academy, trying to find a shortcut to reach the roof of the Academy even faster. He thought he may have found it as in seconds he was on the roof racing towards Mei but he also noticed that his legs were running faster than he could've ever imagined possible so ruled that in as a high possibility.

Racing towards Mei, his focus was all on stopping her and before she even knew of his presence, he grabbed her from around the waist and pulled her back. She gasped out in shock as he pulled her backwards and she landed safely on top of him with D'Jok's grip around her waist remaining.

'D'JOK! What are you doing?' Mei demanded to know as her boyfriend had given her one of those mini heart attacks like the ones you get when you check your pocket and think your phone's missing only a tad worse. D'Jok gaped at her, completely in shock that she had even bothered her ass to ask that question when he had probably just saved her life.

'What am I doing? What the fuck do you think you're doing?' D'Jok exclaimed back at her and she stared at him in shock for a few moments in complete shock as she was unsure of what to say really; she wasn't sure of what he was telling her.

'D'Jok, what are you...what are you talking about?' Mei gasped out as she overcame her shock from D'Jok's outburst. D'Jok widened his eyes as he looked at her in complete and utter shock. She has almost killed herself by jumping off the roof but he had saved her in time-how the hell could she forget that?

'Mei! You were about to jump off the roof of the Academy, don't act like you don't have a clue!' D'Jok almost yelled and Mei stared at him, mouth agape. After a few moments of silence, D'Jok raised his eyebrows at her as she finally came back down to Earth and overcame her immediate shock.

'D'Jok...I swear I mean it when I say that I have no clue what you're talking about! I can't even remember how I got up here in the first place! I swear to you that's the truth,' Mei promised him and watched his angry and frustrated expression turn to one of shock and curiosity. What was going on...?

'You mean to tell me you have no idea as to what is going on?' he asked in shock. Nothing made sense anymore.

'No, I can't remember what happened. Last I remember is walking to my room and then it's all drawn at a blank,' Mei confessed and D'Jok could see the honesty in his lover's eyes. But things still didn't make any sense.

'Ok...' he began and kissed her forehead to tell her he believed her. '...come on, let's get you inside.' He snaked an arm around her waist and helped her up as he guided his stressed fiancée back inside.

He brought her to the lounge and stayed with her for about ten minutes along with the twins but he left her there with them to go and speak with his father. This had to stop. If anyone knew how to help, it was his father. He stormed into the 'meeting' room (they had a particular room in the Academy where since the kidnappings they always discussed what to do next and all so it was now known as the meeting room) and sure enough found his father in the room along with Micro-Ice and Yuki. He was glad to see Yuki back he had to admit but his mind was focused on Mei and nothing else.

'Sonny, this has to stop! Mei's going to crack at some point, I can't let that happen! It has to stop!' he yelled and his father was slightly taken aback by the outburst.

'D'Jok we can't just fix it! If it were that simple, we'd have done it ages ago!' Sonny told his son firmly after overcoming his shock. D'Jok opened his mouth to argue back when...

'YOU GUYS!' a voice yelled and Rocket came barging into the room breathing heavily and gripping Tia's hand tightly as she hid behind him. 'Tia...' he gasped out. '...the voices...gone.'

**To be continued…**


	20. Voices Vanish and the Girls Unite

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

**Continuation…**

'Tia...?' Rocket questioned after she whispered his name and he clasped her face into his hands. 'Are you...can you... Do you remember who I am?' Rocket watched and listened carefully for her reply.

'Yes...you're Rocket...my boyfriend of over 4 years. I remember Rocket...' Tia told him as she realised what she was saying herself and smiled at him wildly. 'I remember!' She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close. His arms wrapped themselves around her also and pulled her so close that she could just about breathe. A smile spread across his face as he lost his hand in her hair and took in her scent. She remembered him! She remembered him! The thought kept repeating itself inside Rocket's head making balls of joy fire through his body. Eventually Tia pulled back and Rocket asked her that same question he was always asking her lately.

'Are you ok?' he asked but she never responded. Instead, she leaned forward again and pressed his lips to his in a passionate kiss. Rocket had expected her to break away after a few moments but she went on longer than he had expected. It was shorter than their normal kissing but he could tell that there was some kind of reason for her breaking off so much sooner then she would.

'I'm ok...' she whispered and looked to be in some kind of relief. 'I'm ok Rocket...they're gone...' she muttered and looked at him with a relieved and shocked expression which Rocket also had when he realised what she was saying.

'You mean...?'

'The voices...they're gone! I'm ok!' Tia almost screamed happily before Rocket grabbed her and pulled her close again and she flung her arms around him in response. Finally, it was all over and she was fine. Maybe still not 100% his Tia but she was closer and had a better shot at getting there now. Nothing could make Rocket happier, nothing. They stayed embraced for what seemed like ages, just hugging each other close and enjoying the other's scent, when suddenly Tia pulled back. She said nothing but kissed him softly on the lips instead in the sweetest kiss they had ever shared. After breaking apart, Rocket spoke.

'I know you probably want to rest right now but we really should inform the others...' Rocket said despite wanting to just lay her down and make out with her or just go the full way and strip her out of her clothes there and then. But his conscience was telling him that it was wrong for everyone else especially Tia. The Tia part made his decision. Tia just nodded and smiled making him smile back before he randomly lifted her in his arms as he stood up. She giggled like a two year old as her arms remained around his neck and he just kissed the corner of her mouth before speaking. 'Come on,' he encouraged as he put her down and clutched her hand as he lead her out of the room, grasping it tight like he was grasping the fact that she was back…his Tia was back...

'Ok Tia, try and tell us what you can,' Sonny encouraged gently as Tia was getting a check-up by Simbai with Rocket, Sonny, D'Jok and Micro-Ice in along with them. So far they had discovered that Tia didn't completely have her memory back as she couldn't remember anyone else in that room except for Simbai and obviously Rocket. Sonny had considered doing what Rocket had done to reboot her memory but got rid of the idea since the young girl's head had been messed around with enough and she had only just remembered her boyfriend. So he decided to let the two enjoy a little time together before they pushed on but Sonny had to find out what he could off the teen first. Tia took a glance over to Rocket how was sitting close to her on the bed (but left enough room for Simbai to do her checkups) and he nodded reassuringly to her so she knew she could trust Sonny.

'I don't remember anything at all really. I can only remember a room with four walls but I have no idea where it is or anything like that. But I can remember some of what he told us which feels new and I can't put my finger on it so maybe I didn't remember it before,' Tia confessed and Simbai finished her checkups. She went off to check Tia's readings and looked concerned about something (which no one had noticed except for Rocket) and her boyfriend then shuffled closer to her and grabbed her hand for reassurance.

'You said 'he'...who is 'he'?' Sonny asked, hoping her description of the man now would be no different to what it was before so they wouldn't end up in square one again and Tia was reliable now so they had a good reason to confront Harris since Tia was now back in body and mind.

'I don't know his name; he kept all personal stuff, well...personal. Only what he told us had to do with us alone. He had...' Tia gave her description of the man and lucky for Sonny and everyone else, she described Harris. 'There were also some pretty heavy duty scientists floating about I remember. Like...top class but I don't know any single one of them or much about them all at all. All I know is that they were top class.'

'Scientists?' Rocket questioned and Tia nodded though just as confused about what the scientists had to do with the girl's kidnapping as he was. Rocket then took a glance to Sonny who seemed lost in his own thoughts when he suddenly spoke again.

'Ok Tia, I know it would be difficult to just ask you to tell us all he told you so all I will do is ask you about different things so you only need to focus on one thing, alright? But should you think of anything extremely important, tell me straight away, ok?' he asked and Tia nodded as she prepared herself for the questions. 'You have to tell us Tia, if you know how can we get rid of the micro-chip without risking the chance of the other two losing their memory? Can you tell me that?' Things were in Sonny's favour today as it seemed because Tia did in fact know exactly how to resolve this problem.

'She has to choose to overcome the voices, she can't be forced. If she's forced, her mind will get confused and go crazy but if she fights it herself without being told to, then it'll work better. That's it basically,' Tia explained and looked over to her boyfriend who had his head bowed in guilt as he did not know any if this before he forced Tia to overcome the voices. Tia knew this and placed her free hand on top of their intertwined hands making him look at her. She mouthed 'it's ok' to him to try and help but failed. Rocket though didn't tell her this and just nodded before the meeting continued.

'What do you suggest we do then?' Sonny asked the white haired teen who answered without hesitation.

'We all had things we couldn't do because we would lose control of ourselves and blurt out something...inappropriate I remember him saying. He didn't want us to spill all that was going on and if we did certain things, we would without realising what we were doing so the micro-chip was programmed to make sure we didn't do those things,' Tia informed them before explaining to them again what they had to do since they had a better idea of the situation. 'You could put them in one of those positions they're not supposed to be in and let them choose to fight it without forcing them.' Everyone looked to D'Jok as they had to help Mei first since she was slowly losing it whilst Yuki had some self control right now. Once they helped Mei, they would help Yuki and then all could be back to normal. First they had to figure out what Mei wasn't allowed to do according to the voices.

'Well…' D'Jok began as two ideas came to him. '…Mei has two that she won't do which is football and sex…' Rocket jumped in before he could finish.

'Football,' he said firmly and everyone gave him a bewildered look which he tried to shrug off. Before D'Jok could ask why Rocket had said this, Simbai came back into play.

'Tia…can I have a word in private for a few minutes please?' she asked and Tia nodded before getting down off the bed only to find her hand still intertwined with Rocket's who was standing next to her and gripping her hand tightly. She tried to tug it away but he just held it even tighter and Tia knew by the look in his eyes that he just didn't want to leave her for more than reasons than she knew.

'Rocket, I'll be fine,' she promised him and looked at him with her pleading emerald eyes. He couldn't hold her hand every moment of everyday even if he wanted to do. He had to let it go sometime. So reluctantly, he slowly released his hand from hers and watched as she went off with Simbai as he clenched his fists in frustration. Sonny speaking brought him back to his senses.

'Rocket, focus,' he said firmly and Rocket nodded, relaxing and forcing himself to forget about Tia and worry about helping Mei.

'Ok, so I say we do exactly what Tia said we do and put Mei in one those positions...' Sonny began and flickered to Rocket for a second but decided to avoid the question he wanted to ask due to his expression. '...and football would probably be our best bet. We put her on a field, put a ball in front of her and ask her to score a goal. If I follow what Tia was saying, Mei will then be overcrowded by the voices and should hopefully fight off the voices on her own initiative without us pressuring her or even saying anything. How does that sound?' Rocket, D'Jok and Micro-Ice exchanged looks but in the end, all eyes were on D'Jok. It was his turn to call the shots.

'If all that Tia said works in our favour then I would say it will work by what you describe Dad. I just hope Mei fights it off which she should so I'd like to at least try,' D'Jok confirmed and Sonny nodded. He was about to pass on orders to three young teens when Rocket jumped in to voice some advice to D'Jok from his own experience.

'D'Jok, I don't think you're actually aware of what could happen say if this went wrong,' Rocket stated and everyone passed him bewildered looks except for Sonny who knee that Rocket had a point to make based on his own experiences.

'What do you mean Rocket?' D'Jok asked his teammate and friend who knew more than he did about the micro-chip stuff because he had witnessed its affects first-hand on his white haired girlfriend. Whatever Rocket said, D'Jok knew he could count on Rocket to help him even if they had had their share of disagreements throughout this experience.

'Should this not go in our favour like Mei just doesn't fight them off or is unsuccessful, and I'm not saying that will happen. All I'm saying is that if it did happen, Mei won't trust you again. Remember that D'Jok, I know what I'm talking about. You have one-shot at this because she won't trust you or anyone else if it doesn't work and that will cause more problems. Just try and be aware of that. I don't you and Mei to suffer like Tia and I have,' Rocket informed him and D'Jok realised why Rocket wanted to make that clear. Tia had trusted him to believe her and then he went behind her back causing her to go crazy and try to claw her eyes out sending her mental state through the roof. That was the first straw. Some more followed with Rocket hurting Tia in some way each time and Rocket knew the consequences and didn't want anyone at all to make the same careless mistake's he did. D'Jok understood this and was thankful for it. Ok, so maybe Rocket wasn't so bad after all.

'Thanks Rocket. I know of that now but...yeah, I still have to give it a shot. I'll figure something else out if it doesn't work but this is not only our one shot at this but our one shot at saving her. It's all we have right now,' D'Jok said earnestly and Rocket nodded. Just like he (most of the time) was with Tia, D'Jok knew what was best for Mei so he didn't question his friend's decision.

'Once you know,' Rocket replied when Sonny spoke up.

'Ok then boys, I have a plan...'

'So...you can't remember everything, only some things. Am I right?' Mei asked her best friend who was sitting on the bed with her two fellow kidnapping victims sitting in front of her. She nodded to this question buy her face was filled with more sadness than expected telling Mei that something was wrong. 'Is everything ok Tia?' Tia's head sprung up and looked at Mei but she snapped her gaze away again when she answered.

'Simbai, before you came along, wanted to talk to me and do some more tests and...I'm still not me,' Tia confessed and Mei and Yuki exchanged bewildered expressions.

'Just because you can't remember everything?' Yuki said. 'That'll come with time; you will soon be you again and get...'

'It has nothing to do with the memory loss Yuki!' Tia said making the other two teens even more confused.

'What is it then?' Mei was brave enough to ask and Tia explained clearer.

'The micro-chip and the voices aren't there and I'm starting to remember everything but...I'm still not me, well, mentally. Simbai says the whole experience took it's tole on me mentally apparently and I'm unwell and recovering. I don't know what I did and all but she did say I was never myself since I came back and it just got worse until the point where I was mentally unstable and still am...' Tia said and stopped before she pushed herself which the two understood. The two were also extremely sad for their friend who was lost right now. Nothing was going right for her and that didn't seem to be changing anytime soon. No one knew how much more the she could take. Suddenly, Mei spoke up and gave her some confiding words.

'Look on the bright side Tia, now you can recover quicker and better with Rocket by your side and no micro-chip! They will figure out a way to help us and then I'll have D'Jok by my side and Yuki will have Micro-Ice,' Mei said and Tia felt strong and confident but that lowered slightly when she said the last thing.

'Micro-Ice?' Tia asked. She had been told directly who D'Jok was and she still couldn't remember him but at least knew who he was. The name Micro-Ice was familiar to her but she wasn't sure exactly who it was. She guessed it was the short black haired boy that was also in the room with them during her 'intervention' but she wanted to be sure.

'My boyfriend. He has black hair? You saw him earlier,' Yuki explained gently so not to hurt she and Tia nodded. Despite Yuki's gentle tone, Tia couldn't help but feel slightly down about the situation she was caught in which was understandable considering she couldn't remember the people who meant so much to her.

'Don't worry Tia! We'll get through this...together. Right?' Mei smiled softly and all three girls exchanged glances before smiles across their faces. Yes, they had their loving boyfriends and family and friend's buy not even they could understand exactly how the girls felt. They had each other for that. They were thankful for it to and were glad to have each other to take support in when times were tough.

'Right,' Yuki smiled and then she and Mei turned to look at Tia. The most important opinion here was Tia's because they all knew that if anyone needed a friend to talk to and take comfort in, then it would be Tia so long as she understood that they were in it together then all would be fine.

'Right,' Tia replied and watched as Mei placed her hand in the centre and Yuki placed hers on top. Smiling, Tia did the same and they instantly did their mini-hand shake for the first time in a long while. They slid their hands back and gave a soft knuckle punch together before lifting their hand back and snapping their fingers making the three laugh hysterically.

Tia knew she had Rocket. She knew she had Simbai. She knew she had her family and friend's despite not being able to remember them. How the hell she could remember her two best friend's was beyond her but she didn't really give a damn either. She had them there for support and comfort when she needed it and nothing could make her happier...

'Poor Tia...' D'Jok muttered that night whilst cuddling his relaxed girlfriend in his arms. Something about what happened that day somehow relaxed Mei in a way. She didn't how it happened though!

'Yeah...' Mei replied and snuggled deeper into his chest. D'Jok had to admit he was surprised by the amount of affection she was showing for him, even if he had no complaints. He just stroked her hair and enjoyed the compliments he gave her from time to time. Suddenly, she lifted her head and placed it on his shoulder so she could get a better look at his face. 'I love you,' she smiled and he smiled back at her.

'I love you too,' he replied before locking lips with hers. He felt her lips turn up into a smile as she moulded his lips with hers and they melted into one another's arms in a passionate kiss. They kissed for only a few moments before slowly breaking away. They gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments when D'Jok suddenly flipped Mei round so she was now lying below him. He gently pushed her bangs up right off her face and rested his forehead on hers before breathlessly speaking.

'You know I would only do what's best for you, right? I would never try and hurt you purposely and I would always do what I can to protect you. Promise me you understand this?' D'Jok begged. He had to know for sure that she understood he would do anything to keep her safe which was true. He knew there was still a high chance she would hate him if their plan went wrong but if D'Jok knew she understood how he felt about her then he might be able to work around her with time.

'I understand D'Jok, I promise,' she promised him and he replied by gently pressing his lips to hers once more in a passionate kiss. He loved her more than anything, his Mei or not, and D'Jok knew that if their plan went flawlessly then he would soon have his Mei and nothing could please him more...

**Ok…so originally Chapter 19 and 20 were one chapter but it was too long so that's why it was split into two! Feel free to review either chapters if you wish or at least one! And more of Micro-Ice/Yuki to come and also more Mei/D'Jok! In the next chapter we will find out if the boys can help Mei and Yuki or not…! Drama! Hope you guys enjoyed! **


	21. Reuniting, Struggling and Kidnappings

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

'Hey Tia, its ok!' Rocket said softly as he followed her into his bedroom and took her in his arms as she began to cry whilst curled up in a ball on his bed. He gently hushed her as she cried, stressed out from all the questions Sonny was asking her as well as everything else including the mini incidents that had occurred less than five minutes ago. Things began to take its toll after a few hours and Rocket had had enough and ordered that Sonny stop which he did; giving Tia the chance to go off. Rocket followed her as they went to his room, Tia just wanting some rest but when she went into the bathroom to freshen up, Rocket heard her let out a piercing scream so he legged it in after her. He saw her then cradling her face in her hands and looking in the mirror in shock horror as it was the first time she had seen her scarred eyes since she got her memory back and Rocket had not been thinking straight so did not stop to consider that she may have forgotten about trying to claw her eyes out. Obviously she had forgotten and was sobbing hard so Rocket was quick to approach her and embrace her close before he told her what had happened. He explained it as gently as he possibly could but it affected Tia all the same.

'How could this have happened Rocket?' was she sobbed to him but Rocket was unable to come up with an answer. Instead, he just comforted her in every way he could.

'This doesn't change things...' he whispered into her ear after the sobbing had died down a bit and he knew she would figure out that he was referring to their relationship. Tia was quick to catch on and lifted her head but Rocket's phone went off before she could reply. It was Sonny; once again looking for Tia for questioning. Rocket was unimpressed and when Tia ran out of his arms and back into the bedroom as she clearly overheard. Seeing this, Rocket snapped and actually yelled at the Pirate leader for his stubborn requests to harass his traumatised girlfriend.

'Sonny, enough is enough! Tia can't handle anymore of your requests, give her a break!' Rocket exclaimed as he restrained some of the anger threatening to escape.

'Rocket, all we need her to do is-'

'NO! She is not leaving my sights for the rest of the day and she is not being brought near anything in relation to the kidnapping! Tia's done for today, she can't handle anything more,' Rocket said firmly before hanging up the phone; taking deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down before retreating back to his room to see to Tia.

'Hey Tia, its ok!' Rocket said softly as he followed her into his bedroom and took her in his arms as she began to cry whilst curled up in a ball on his bed. This made Rocket even more furious at Sonny but he kept himself calm so he could comfort Tia.

He rubbed her back and did what he could to ease her sorrow but it was slow moving. They spoke nothing for a while and Tia's tears never eased so Rocket decided to try and let words comfort her.

'I still love you,' Rocket muttered as he gazed at her angelic face whilst messing with the zip of her wind-breaker. Tia smiled as he said this but that was removed when she caught on to exactly what he meant.

'How can you Rocket? I don't look like me anymore, I can't remember half the things of my own things and I'm still not me. How can you still love me when I'm not the girl you fell in love with anymore?' Tia sobbed and for a few moments, Rocket froze in shock and could only gaze at her with his mouth agape. He honestly couldn't believe she had just said all that. Breaking out of his trance, he turned his focus on to proving to her that his feelings for her hadn't changed.

'Hey...' he hushed her and placed a gentle hand on her cheek but she looked away. 'Look at me... C'mon; look at me Tia!' Rocket said softly but with a sharp tone that made her listen and also look directly at him. 'Despite what you may think, to me you're still the most beautiful girl in the Galaxy and that will never change! I don't care what you can or can't remember, all I care about is us and being with you forever which will happen; I promise. And Tia, you are still the rebellious girl I fell in love with and that will never change! No matter what you'll always be my Tia! Don't ever forget that!' Tia could only stare at her boyfriend in shock as she tried to comprehend what he had just told her. Even after all the years they had been together and all they had been through, Tia still couldn't realise how much he loved her but she knew when he was telling the truth.

'I need you,' she whispered as she realised just how much she did need him and how much they loved each other. Rocket gently placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her closer in response.

'I'll always be here for you Tia, no matter what,' he promised her. 'I need you too!' he laughed and Tia smiled before her emotions hit her again and the tears started to flow making Rocket pull her even closer to him

He continued to try and sooth her pain for a while when she stopped sobbing and just lay there against his chest when a sudden idea occurred to Rocket.

'What do you say we go out to my cave for the rest of day? Just you and me? Get away from all this...' Rocket asked as Tia shifted herself so she could look at him and smiled as he said this.

'I'd love to...' she replied and kissed the corner of his mouth making him smile in response before he grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the room...

'Rocket!' Sonny said through gritted teeth as the stubborn and furious teen hung up on the wise Pirate leader.

'He loves Tia too much Dad, give him a break,' D'Jok asked and Sonny nodded.

'Yeah, I guess you're right. We'll worry about Tia later but right now is about Mei. Go get her now and we'll proceed with our plan,' Sonny ordered and a silent D'Jok left the training room to go and get his girlfriend.

He entered his room warily (he was not keen on the plan at all) where Mei was sitting on his bed waiting on him and looked up from her magazine when he entered. A smile spread across her face but she never failed to notice the nervous smile on her boyfriend's face. Before she could ask, D'Jok sat on the bed and placed kisses along her jaw line seductively before stopping when he reached her ear.

'Come with me,' he whispered seductively and a sexy smile spread across Mei's face. Taking her hand, D'Jok led her off his bed and towards the training room. He said nothing to her out of fear he would say something he's not supposed to; he couldn't risk that. So they stayed silent but when he reached the door of the training room, he stopped them. 'Close your eyes,' D'Jok whispered and she smirked before closing them. Not willing to risk anything, D'Jok placed a blindfold across her eyes making her gasp in shock. 'Trust me.' D'Jok hoped that would work and luckily enough it did so Mei relaxed and allowed him to place the blindfold round her eyes before he guided her into the centre of the training room. With a nod from his father at the controls of the field next to Clamp, D'Jok untied the blindfold before running back giving Clamp the opportunity to bring up the field. Whilst he was doing so, Mei had opened her eyes and was taking in her surroundings before turning to find her fiancée. It was then she saw everyone else and realised this was a set up. And when she saw what Clamp was doing, her eyes widened in fear.

'D'Jok, DON'T!' she yelled and started to run towards him when the field appearing stopped her in her tracks.

Rocket slid his hand into her hair and pulled her closer to him as the couple enjoyed their first make-out session in quite a long time. Too long for Rocket; so he was enjoying every moment of it and grasping every fibre of her body. Suddenly as he took a gasp if air, Tia took advantage of that and slid her tongue into his mouth letting their tongues battle for dominance, neither of them giving in. But when Tia slid her hands under Rocket's shirt, Rocket broke away in belief they were taking things too far as far as Tia's health was concerned.

'Tia, stop. I don't know if you're mentally ready to make love to me yet. I dint want to risk anything,' Rocket informed her and Tia thought about what he said carefully before giving him the verdict.

'I know I don't know much right now, but I know what I want and what I'm capable of right now and right now Rocket...I just, need you. I want you. Tell me you love me, show me. That's what I need from you right now. I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't able but at this moment, I am. Please?' Tia begged and Rocket watched her carefully. Seeing in her eyes what she could handle, Rocket made his own decision and gently took hold of her hand before leading her over to the mattress that lay close to the fire in his cave and out of sight to any passers-by. He sat down and so did she, sitting sideways against him before she pulled his head into a deep kiss. As they lay down on the mattress, their hands that were intertwined separated so they could remove each others clothes...

Mei looked round herself in shock horror as she realised that everyone, including her loving fiancée, had turned against her and were going to try and force her into doing something she did not want to do. Why? She didn't know but she didn't care.

'Are you sure about this?' D'Jok asked his father. Despite himself, D'Jok did not want to do this.

'You already know the answer to that D'Jok,' Sonny acknowledged and D'Jok bowed his head in realisation. Taking a deep breath, D'Jok prepared himself before looking at the screen whilst standing next to his father with the other Pirates and Micro-Ice waiting on the side lines.

Mei was struggling to breathe. She wasn't supposed to be doing this. She knew the consequences of doing this and she knew how they had affected her best friend. That scared her. And of course, what she expected to happen had happened and she could hear whispering starting to occur in her head; something she hadn't experienced but her best friend knew all too well. Mei was inexperienced so the affect it had on her was terrifying.

'Don't…stop…NO!' Mei screamed and D'Jok winced but forced himself to continue to watch his fiancé crumple to pieces on the screen in front of his eyes. How long he would be able to though, he didn't know. Falling to her knee's, Mei began to sob hard as a ball appeared in front of her. Her instincts had told her to head straight towards the goal with it at her feet but as the voices in her head screamed even louder, she could only tremble and fall to her knees. 'Get out of my head…GET OUT!'

'Sonny stop,' D'Jok's immediate response when he saw how much pain Mei was in. It broke his heart and he didn't want to risk breaking hers anymore. Knowing he had betrayed her probably had her heart broken enough already.

'No D'Jok,' Sonny said firmly. In order to help Mei, they had to keep going for her sake. Forgetting why they were doing this in the first place, D'Jok disagreed.

'Sonny-'

'NO!' yelled a female voice that D'Jok was quick to recognise and looked at the screen to find…Mei lying unconscious…

Gently tracing a finger along her pale arm, Rocket gazed into Tia's eyes with only a blanket covering them both. Shivers went down Rocket's spine as one of Tia's hands ran along his chest as he pulled her to him and nibbled on her ear lobe.

'We should probably be getting back soon,' Tia whispered breathlessly but it was easy to hear the longing to stay in that moment with him in her voice.

'Sadly,' Rocket replied and Tia smiled as he moved his face directly in front of hers and their gazes met once again. Smiling at each other, Tia felt her emotions hit her once again at how lucky she was to have him.

'I love you,' Tia whispered whilst trying to grasp with her tears. In seeing this, Rocket smiled and gently stroked her cheek.

'I love you to,' he replied before pulling her into a deep and passionate kiss. She obliged and after a few seconds, they broke apart before Rocket practically jumped on her and shoved his tongue into her mouth whilst his hands found their way around her body…

'Is she alright Dame Simbai?' D'Jok asked her worriedly as both he and his father were by Mei's bedside. She hadn't woken up yet but she appeared to be fine. D'Jok however, just needed to be sure.

'She is fine, just tired though I predict she'll be waking up soon,' Simbai answered before leaving them alone. Wasting no time, D'Jok rushed to the chair at her bedside and grabbed her hand. After a few moments, Sonny also approached and placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder who quickly shoved it away shocking Sonny.

'Go Dad,' D'Jok said firmly and for a few moments, Sonny was speechless at his son's actions until he realised why he was acting like this.

'D'Jok, I-

'Leave Dad.' Not wanting to push his son anymore than he already had, Sonny left to let his son cool down after he had pushed Mei further than what D'Jok thought she could handle. He knew D'Jok believed that he was the reason Mei was where she was now.

After about ten minutes of sitting and waiting, Mei suddenly stirred before her eyes opened wide.

'Mei…' D'Jok sighed with relief as Mei looked at him in confusion.

'D'Jok, what... What happened?' Mei asked in utter confusion, clearly not able to remember anything which made D'Jok curious.

'You don't remember what happened?' he questioned and Mei shook her head making D'Jok smile as he began to interrogate her calmly. The results were thankfully what he was looking for. Mei couldn't remember anything that had happened after the kidnapping like Tia couldn't but she could remember some of what happened during the kidnapping but thankfully, just like Tia and Rocket had predicted, Mei could remember him and everyone else; much to D'Jok's relief. The micro-chip was gone. So he explained everything to her, including how they had got rid of the micro-chip, but he was sad to discover Mei also couldn't remember their engagement. However, he left that part out so she could get her head round things first and then he could explain that to her. He was quite happy right now though she was fine and recovering. 'Everything will work out. Once we get rid of the micro-chip inside Yuki's head, everything will be back to normal for us. I promise.'

'Thank you,' Mei thanked her loving boyfriend (and unbeknown to her, fiancée) before pressing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. D'Jok happily moulded his lips with hers but their little heaven was interrupted by Dame Simbai coming in…

_The next morning…_

Tia and Rocket had reluctantly returned to Aarch Academy but had avoided everyone and went straight to Rocket's room where they cuddled up and fell asleep with Tia in Rocket's arms. Remembering the events of the day before, Rocket smiled as he turned round to pull his angel to him but found her side of the bed empty. His eyes sprung open and he sat up in the bed with his heart beating at ninety miles per hour.

'TIA?' Rocket yelled despite knowing she wasn't in the bathroom since the door was wide open in front of him. That didn't stop him jumping up and running towards the bathroom though to find it empty. Wasting no time, Rocket quickly through on a pair of trousers and shoes and ran out of his room. In his rush, Rocket almost bumped into the crowd standing in the hallway outside Micro-Ice and D'Jok's room but managed to stop himself in time to find Sonny with D'Jok and few of the other Pirates and Aarch standing in a circle and were talking but stopped when they say Rocket. 'Where's Tia?' Rocket exclaimed in a panic. Sonny was about to ask if she was not with him but stopped when he realised that if she was then Rocket wouldn't have asked.

'Rocket…we don't know. Mei, Yuki and…Micro-Ice have vanished to,' Sonny admitted sadly and both Rocket and D'Jok's expressions turned grim. D'Jok's fists kept clenching and unclenching whilst Rocket simply fell against the wall.

'No…' Rocket whispered sadly. He had only just got her back; she couldn't be gone again! And whilst she was with him and that made Rocket feel even worse. He was supposed to protect her.

'Dad, I'm not sitting back and waiting for them to return. We have to find them and Micro-Ice to and figure out why they kidnapped him also!' D'Jok exclaimed as he knocked out of his trance and Rocket followed and stood beside him in agreement. Sonny passed a look between the two boys before speaking.

'Then what do you suggest we do?' Sonny questioned, not agreeing or disagreeing with them just yet until he saw what they had in mind. Rocket and D'Jok exchanged looks when something clicked with Rocket.

'Didn't you guys set up video cameras when the girls were kidnapped the first time?' Rocket questioned Sonny and the Pirate leader soon caught on to what Rocket was getting at.

'Let's go check them out…'

**The girl AND Micro-Ice have been kidnapped again… Problems, problems, problems… They just never cease!**


	22. Truths Revealed and The Escape Begins

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

Every single person in the room was shocked at what they saw on the TV monitors in front of them. Artie was at the controls with everyone around him and the first thing he did was play the footage from last night in Micro-Ice and D'Jok's were Mei was sharing the bed with D'Jok. Things were fine until the screen suddenly went black for exactly three seconds and when it appeared again, Mei had vanished and D'Jok had remained in his previous position. The same happened at the exact same time with Tia sharing a bed with Rocket and the same happened to Micro-Ice and Yuki sharing a bed together. There one second, gone the next. Rocket had retreated to the hallway after watching the incident in his room where his legs gave in and he collapsed to the floor against the wall but he was surprised no tears came. All he could really feel was frustration and determination. He wasn't let her get hurt, not this time. To his surprise, D'Jok suddenly cane out of the controls room and set next to him. In feeling Rocket's confusion, D'Jok explained.

'I know you want to help her. I want to help Mei also. We have an idea of where they are, if we look hard enough we'll get in and we'll save them and stop all that's been going on. But we need to help each other,' D'Jok explained and Rocket watched him carefully before nodding and holding out his hand for D'Jok to shake which he took.

'I expect you have a plan then?' Rocket questioned, not failing to notice the glint in D'Jok's eyes.

'Follow me,' D'Jok ordered and they both got up before Rocket followed D'Jok to discover this plan in saving the girls and their close friend...

'This is useless!' D'Jok muttered helplessly as he felt every brick and every item he possibly could at the dead end in the alleyway along with Rocket. Apparently he had scanned over somewhere that made something on Artie's screen jump so he was currently looking again in that same area whilst Rocket was searching the opposite wall just in case. Rocket was also starting to get frustrated but he was determined to save Tia and the others so kept going.

'There's gotta be something here that will let us in!' Rocket exclaimed as he tried to ignore D'Jok's previous statement. The boys continued but were soon starting to get aggravated and because of this, D'Jok couldn't take it and out of frustration kicked the wall. Then what happened shocked them both and also the Pirates watching on security cameras and listening through the ear pieces. As D'Jok kicked the wall, he knew immediately he hit something as that wall suddenly opened to reveal a dark corridor. The two exchanged a look before nodding and D'Jok spoke into his earpiece.

'We're going in,' he said firmly and Sonny, despite knowing he probably should, didn't stop them. There was no point really since he knew they would do so anyways.

'Fine. But be careful and keep us updated. When you find them, get out of there as soon as so we can go in and stop the kidnappers for good and figure out what the hell is going on,' Sonny almost yelled but managed to restrain himself just and D'Jok nodded to Rocket who began to enter the corridor.

'Copy that,' D'Jok said before following Rocket, both with one thing on their mind-they were going to save them...

When Tia's mind awoke, she immediately knew something was different. When she opened her eyes and registered her surroundings, fear spread through her body as she recognised the cell in an instance. That sadly hadn't been wiped from her memory. She sat up with a struggle as her hands and feet were tied and she was also gagged before taking a look round her to find Mei, Yuki and...Micro-Ice in the same way she was but they were still unconscious. Hopelessly, she tried to wriggle her hands free but her attempt was cut short by the cell door opening making her head shoot up. Her eyes immediately widened as she backed up against the wall in fear as the slim figure approached her.

'Well well, if it isn't the psycho bitch awake first?' the female voice said. Tia knew it, my did she know it! She knew the person but she knew ages go that this woman was involved. How else were her kidnappers to know what the boys had figured out? But it wasn't until now Tia remembered this woman was involved. Tia watched carefully as the woman approached her and her breathing increased in speed as she placed herself directly in front of Tia. She began to shake when the woman suddenly lifted a can of something and sprayed it into Tia's face. Next thing she knew, all she could see was total darkness...

The white haired young girl let out a throaty moan as she moved her head so she was now facing the ceiling. She opened her eyes and her sight was a complete blur at first but she soon found herself in a familiar position. It wasn't exactly like the first. The last time she had machines pointing needles down at her from all directions. This time there were no machines and she was flat on her back (she was on like a slope the first time) but she could recognise the room vividly. Her head sprung up to find she was strapped to the table by her hands and feet but was no longer gagged thankfully. She then turned her head to find a number of scientists working away and the woman she knew all too well and THAT man. The man behind all this.

'What do you want from me?' Tia cried out in order to make her presence known. All heads turned towards her and a sly and evil smile spread across that man's face making Tia cringe.

'Now now my dear, I think you know that. Thanks to that stupid boyfriend of yours, our plans had to change so we'll now have to deal with you ourselves unfortunately. Thankfully you're the first one to get done since you were awake first! I would've hate for you have had a panic attack of some kind and go all mental on us!' that man said sending horrific memories to flash in Tia's mind but she forced her fear back.

'Why me in the first place? What use am I to you? And the other girls to?' Tia asked, determined to get to the bottom of what was truly going on.

'The answer is simple. Girl's flux is more powerful,' he stated and Tia's eyes widened in shock.

'What?' she exclaimed as this didn't make sense to her at all. Well, nothing really did anymore.

'It took me a long time to realise it, believe me. On the field, to you and everyone else, the Flux is equal. But when you played Rocket in the Sphere... Let's just say you're Flux readings were ten times his. I studied it long and hard, watched matches of you girls over and over again until finally, I figured it out. Girls are naturally slimmer and lighter than men. You would expect the force of the Flux to be greater in men but it's the burst of Flux that girl's release. So much of it is released into the air as your body can only hold so much of it. Men naturally can hold more so less is released even if they have to use more. And I don't know why, but girl's flux, yours in particular, appears to be...stronger than the average. Whatever it is about the Breath of Akillian. I don't care and I don't want to know why. I'm going to get great pleasure and power out of this. I'm not going to question it.' Fear was the inputting Tia could feel. So her Flux along with Mei and Yuki's was stronger and more powerful than the average? That didn't make sense really but she knew what this guy was up to was trouble.

'Where does Simbai fit into all this?' was the next question to stutter out of Tia's mouth and she shivered when that devilish grin appeared on his transparent innocent expression.

'She is the master of much of my work! She reports to me, that's her first job. Keeps me updated on you lot. Then her second and most important which is now completed was to form these...' he announced before pressing a button allowing a picture to appear on the screen.

'Clones...' Tia muttered as she looked in shock horror at clone versions of her, Mei and Yuki.

'Very good Tia! They have everything. Your knowledge, your skills...they even have your Flux which can I point out, neither of you three have used since the first kidnapping.' Tia suddenly realised he was right. None of them had mainly due to their health which...was advised by Dame Simbai to Aarch. Before Tia could fully comprehend everything, she took note of a scientist standing strangely close whilst drugging up a syringe with something making Tia panic.

'What's going on?' Tia cried as the scientist lifted her arm up slightly even with her strapped to the table and started to wipe away the dirt on her shoulder with a cotton bud.

'I told you...we have to deal with now.' Tia's eyes widened once again in fear as she struggled against the scientist's grip that now had a hold of the syringe pointing to her shoulder.

'No...don't do this...please no-' Silence. Scream.

'This is never-ending,' D'Jok whined as after ten minutes, both he and Rocket were still stuck walking down that same corridor in search the girls and his best friend. But they were still no closer to finding any of them and this was starting to annoy the teenagers.

'Hold on just a bit more D'Jok, you're almost there,' Artie encouraged and D'Jok did so with his mind focused on saving his darling Mei. After what seemed like forever, they came towards the end of a corridor where three doors lay in front of them but they stayed where they were at the end as they awaited instructions from Artie. 'Ok dudes; give me two secs to turn off the security camera's….'

'How can you do that? You didn't even know this place existed or who even runs this place!' Rocket pointed out through his ear piece as they waited for the all clear to go through one of the doors.

'True Rocket but its Technoid. That I managed to figure out easily! They're systems are far too easy to hack in to! Ok, it's all clear. Take the door on your right and preferably quickly,' Artie said firmly and the two quickly rushed towards the door. They quickly slipped through to find a short hallway that lead out into a number of chambers. Artie screaming at them to stop prevented them from taking a look to see if the girls and Micro-Ice were in any of the chambers.

'Hold it right there kids! There's robot hanging about, you've got to take a shortcut. They're not there, I've scanned that room. They're more towards the back I think so give me a second to figure it out,' Artie warned so they stopped as they couldn't risk getting caught and captured and to make things worse. Suddenly they heard marching to their left so they both backed up against the left wall and held their breath, hoping they wouldn't be seen. Two robots passed but thankfully didn't see them when something caught Rocket's attention.

'Artie? Are there any camera's in the vents?' Rocket asked in order to get Artie's attention on to what he was getting at as he signalled above him to D'Jok who immediately realised Rocket's plan.

'No, there's not. Nice work Rocket! You two scoot up there and I'll tell ya's where ya's need to go,' Artie explained as Rocket got on to the tips of his toes and pushed open the vent whilst D'Jok kept look out whilst also being careful not to be seen. Rocket grabbed on to the ledge an hoisted himself up with a little help from D'Jok before helping D'Jok up also. Once they were both up and hidden in the vents, Rocket closed it over before Artie gave then directions.

'Ok, there's an odd room at the back that I can't figure out exactly what it is so my guess would be give it a shot. Just take a left and go straight ahead for now, will take you guys a good ten minutes to get there though.' Rocket and D'Jok exchanged nods as they went in the direction they were told to in hope that the room Artie had spoken of was where their loved ones were being kept...

Rocket quickly jumped down from air vent to come face-to-face with an old looking wooden chamber door like one you would see a centuries old castle. D'Jok jumped down behind him and was also surprised to find the type of doorway in front of him but what D'Jok also noticed was that it was pretty much sectioned off from everywhere but he would see the outline of an automatic door also. Rocket was the braver of the two and attempted to open the door but found it locked so clearly something was being hidden inside. In seeing the situation they were now caught in, D'Jok decided to put some of his Pirate knowledge to use as he got down eye level with the keyhole. He picked something out from the side of his shoe but Rocket failed to notice what as D'Jok slipped part of the item into the hole and next thing, the door clicked telling them it was now unlocked. Without wasting another second, D'Jok opened the door and froze for just a split second when he saw what lay beyond. It was thankfully, Mei, Micro-Ice and Yuki, tied by their hands and feet and gagged with relief in their eyes when they saw them. Fear also spread through their bodies though as there was no sign of Rocket's sweet Tia. But for now that was aside, as D'Jok ran down to Mei and untied her whilst Rocket did Micro-Ice. Micro-Ice was the first untied so as they both helped out Yuki, Rocket asked.

'Where's Tia?' He could only feel fear as she was not here when she should've been. He didn't see why she had to be treated differently to the others.

'I'm sorry Rocket but I have no idea. She was t here when any of us woke up,' Micro-Ice replied disappointedly before he comforted Yuki after she was released whilst Rocket tried to think about how to find and save Tia now. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the room, D'Jok was rushing to release his darling Mei. Finally he managed to and he helped her up before she jumped into his arms and he pulled her close.

'Mei,' D'Jok sighed in relief before Mei suddenly pulled back and in an instant pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. His hands stayed firmly on her waist swearing to never let go whilst her hands freely moved about in his fiery red hair. It was a loud cough that brought them back down to earth as they broke away.

'Hare to break it up guys but we really need to find Tia and get the hell out of here!' Micro-Ice exclaimed and the two nodded whilst also feeling a twinge of guilt when they sensed that Rocket was uncomfortable. They didn't blame him. Everyone else was here so why not Tia to? Rocket was uncomfortable but he also knew that he would've done the same with Tia if things had to have been vice versa. Suddenly, a piercing scream from someone in a lot of pain nearby caught everyone's attention and Rocket was the first to notice it.

'TIA!' he cried as he raced out the door in the direction of the scream with the others following close behind. Both Sonny and Artie screamed at Rocket and D'Jok to stop but they never did.

'Gather up all the Pirates you can and send them in. And all the Pirates currently on stand-by, go in now!' Sonny exclaimed as he readied himself as Corso and Bennett's Pirates went in and Artie immediately used his instincts to warn the teens.

'The Pirates are on their way in, I repeat: the Pirates are on their way in. Now get Tia as soon as and get the hell out of there when you get her,' he exclaimed when Rocket came to a door. He stopped in his tracks and halted the others before flinging the gun Sonny had lent him to Micro-Ice.

'Cover me,' he said firmly as he backed away and D'Jok loaded his gun. Micro-Ice stared at Rocket as if he were crazy until D'Jok spoke.

'Just trust your instincts. Now you two get behind this wall and stay there,' he said to they girls and they obeyed him. 'Follow me,' D'Jok tole Micro-Ice before he bombarded the door down followed by Micro-Ice. The only had to reveal their guns and all of the scientists had ducked down out of fear except for one or two who approached the teens as a threat. Whilst Rocket slid past behind them, he saw his angel looking half-conscious on the table or bed or whatever it was and he quickly approached and released her before helping her up. She was dizzy and would've collapsed when her feet landed on the floor if Rocket hadn't have been holding her up by the waist.

'I've got you Tia,' he said as he led her out of the room with Micro-Ice and D'Jok after practicing some of their football skills on the cocky scientists and retreated out of the room behind Rocket and Tia. D'Jok stopped just outside the door however when a female figure suddenly stood and when he saw who it was, he froze in shock.

'Simbai...' he whispered in shock before feeling someone push on his back to get him moving in the right direction. Reluctantly, he ran behind the other two couples with a right grip in Mei's hand; shocked at what he had seen...

As soon as the group of risk-taking teens has done a runner after recapturing the blond, Harris slammed his hand on a big red button on the control panel as he stood up with a sly look on his face. He then typed in a number of things into the keyboard when 'Lockdown Activated' appeared on the screen.

'Nice try Snow Brats...but you're not going anywhere...'

As Tia began to wake up again she ran faster but remained close to Rocket when she suddenly stopped them.

'Wait! Do we even know where we're going?' she exclaimed already out of breath and the boys exchanged looks.

'Any way that gets us out of here and fast,' Rocket finally answered and Tia immediately knew what way to go though she had never actually been in this part before. The cell and the 'scientific room' were the only places she had been in but she still somehow knew which way to go. She could only guess why though.

'Then we need to take a left turn halfway up here and go straight. There's an exit that leads us down the road from the alleyway there,' she explained and everyone, including Rocket, gave her a confused look. 'Look, this is going to sound weird but when I was in there they told me most of what was going on and I'll tell you it all later but what I have to tell you now is that they've cloned us and I'm guessing we know all the clones know and they know all we know. That's the only way I can guess how I know.' The boys exchanged scared looks before regaining some composure to nod to what Tia was saying in understanding.

'Let's go,' said Rocket as he grabbed his girlfriend's hand and guided her with him as they all ran in the direction Tia told them to.

'Take a turn right here!' she said and they did so but a few metres in, they were stopped in their tracks by sudden metal wall-like things came out from one wall and connected to the other in front of them and when they turned back, they found the entrance leading straight ahead was also backed leaving the only way out going backwards towards the room where they got Tia. And they knew things wouldn't be too pretty there now.

'They're locking us in,' Rocket stated as they all looked around for something to help when something clicked in Tia's mind.

'Trying,' she said as she went down the wall a little a brushed her hand over a part of the wall before a square appeared. Using her nails, she lifted the pad revealing a lever. 'This opens that there,' she explained whilst signalling to the metal wall originally facing Rocket. 'But...someone needs to hold this down. And whoever that person is, they won't make it in time to get under the wall without getting stuck again or being squashed. They'll have to go back to get out or else we'll all have to if we don't do this.' Tia said as she moved back next to Rocket forming a circle as everyone looked at one another. D'Jok looked at Rocket who was watching Tia carefully. He wanted her to be safe but he didn't want to leave her. D'Jok knew Rocket though would do whatever he could for Tia and risking his life would be one of them but for Tia's sake, D'Jok couldn't allow that to happen. The thoughts of his best friend Micro-Ice possibly not making out of it alive scared D'Jok to death and besides, Micro-Ice had grown a lot recently. He didn't want him to give up just yet. Micro-Ice had a bright future ahead of him, and this helped D'Jok voice an opinion.

'I'll do it,' he said confidently and everyone looked at him with a crazed look in his eyes especially Mei.

'What?' she exclaimed and looked at him with so much fear, it broke his heart.

'I'm the only one who's had at least some training when it comes to using guns and that, if anyone has a chance of surviving it's me,' D'Jok said firmly and everyone, except for Mei, had to agree with that. They all didn't have a chance but Sonny had given his son some pointers on self-defence and taught him how to use a gun in desperate measures. He was the only one with a chance of survival in this.

'Not on your own! No way, I'm coming with you-' Mei argued but D'Jok tried to interrupt her.

'Mei, no-'

'Don't D'Jok! I'm coming with you. Either I come or you stay but I'm not leaving you,' she said firmly and D'Jok for some reason looked to Rocket in fear.

'We have to be quick you guys or else we may have some visitors,' Micro-Ice said and Rocket nodded in agreement leaving D'Jok no time at all to choose between risking his own life but having to risk Mei's also. Or putting on his friend's lives on the line and more than likely their girlfriend's also as they would work the same way as Mei had. What was D'Jok to choose...?

**Long chapter, hope you guys enjoyed! More action to come in the next chapter with any answers to questions being revealed. I wonder if this chapter will get my 100****th**** review on PP…? To encourage you guys, the 100****th**** reviewer can ask me any 3 questions they want to know about PP and/or request a particular plot or scene. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this one! Review. I would love it!**


	23. The Great Escape and Clones

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

D'Jok looked between everyone standing around him before gulping. Finally, he made his decision.

'Fine Mei but you do exactly as I say, I mean it,' D'Jok warned and Mei nodded before they started off towards the lever when Rocket grabbed D'Jok's arm.

'Be careful,' he warned and D'Jok nodded before Rocket released and grabbed Tia's hand whilst they, along with Micro-Ice and Yuki prepared to pass the wall when it opened. D'Jok carefully wrapped his hand around the lever and with a nod from Rocket and Micro-Ice, he pressed down hard on it and the metal wall slipped open allowing the other four to slip through, once that was done, D'Jok couldn't hold it for very much longer and let go. He had to stretch his red hands for a few seconds before realising that the quicker they moved then the quicker they would get out of here so he grabbed Mei's hand. 'Don't let go, stay close and do exactly as I tell you, understand?' D'Jok ordered his girlfriend who nodded to his order before clutching his hand tightly as he led her down the hallway to their possible doom…

The second the metal wall closed behind them, Rocket and Micro-Ice grabbed the hands of their girlfriend's and ran as fast as they could. They ran for a few minutes when Tia suddenly tugged on Rocket's hand.

'Stop Please,' she begged as she stopped in her tracks and began to breathe heavily.

'Are you alright Tia?' he asked worriedly. They were so close to getting out, she couldn't breakdown right now.

'I just need to breathe for a sec,' she gasped out and Rocket bit on his bottom lip. Get in, get out; that was the plan. He had to keep her safe. Taking that into consideration, Rocket simply turned around.

'Get on my back Tia,' he insisted and Tia froze for a second before helping him swing her on to his back. A shiver of fear sparkled through his body as he felt how light she was; he had carried her many times over the years and yes she was light but she had never been this light before and that scared him even if he knew her health was quite bad. 'Let's go,' he insisted to Micro-Ice who nodded as Tia slumped against him. However, after Rocket had taken a few steps, a metal wall (similar to the one they had just passed) shot down the middle blocking Rocket and Tia from Micro-Ice and Yuki. Tia immediately jumped to no longer see the others and she began to panic.

'Rocket what happened?' Tia exclaimed in a panicky tone and Rocket gently hushed her as he let her down off his back and gently grabbed her face, which was filled with shock horror, in his hands.

'Relax Tia; Micro-Ice can take care of him and Yuki. My job is to take care of you and get you out of here safe which I will do. Micro-Ice and D'Jok's job is to get Mei and Yuki out of here safe. Trust me, alright? Now where do we go from here?' he asked her and Tia nodded before looking around her to try and think of where to go.

'If we go straight on and take the first turn to the left, there should be a secret passage leading outside at the end of that corridor,' she informed him and Rocket nodded as he took her hand again and turned to go down the corridor. However, when he turned he came face-to-face with a familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, face that made him shove Tia behind him and freeze to the spot. What the hell was going on here?

'Tia…?'

'What the hell?' Micro-Ice exclaimed when Rocket and Tia were no longer in sight. Yuki only gulped and gazed at the wall in shock, not sure of what they were supposed to do now.

'Hell is a much nicer place to be rather than here,' a voice said from behind him and Micro-Ice recognised it and looked at her in confusion.

'What are talking about Yuki?' he asked as what she said had confused him completely.

'That wasn't me Micro-Ice…' Yuki whispered in feeling a presence behind her and Micro-Ice gulped before nervously looking up over his girlfriend's shoulder to see something that sent fear and shock through his body.

'Yuki?' Micro-Ice exclaimed and his girlfriend raised an eyebrow before turning behind to find...her own self looking at her. Making her eyes widen in complete shock...

'Keep running Mei!' D'Jok exclaimed the second he felt himself dragging Mei along just the slightest. He then picked up again and continued running but as they turned a corner, the found a number of robots scattered across the floor in front of them making them stop dead in their tracks. D'Jok held Mei back with one hand as he bent down to one of the robots just to be certain that it was in shut down. Mei stood a good enough distance back which D'Jok was relieved she was (for her sake, not for his though) when a sudden pain in his leg made his let out a cry of agonising pain and collapse to the ground with his leg pouring blood.

'D'Jok!' Mei screamed as D'Jok continued to let out cries of agony and grabbed his leg as if it would ease the pain but it didn't. Looking around her, Mei searched for the cause of D'Jok's pain and when she turned to her left, she found one of the robots had risen and had a firm grip on a gun...pointing directly at her. 'NO!' Mei screamed and shut her eyes as she prepared for pain. Suddenly, she heard a shot but not a single bit of pain came to her. Carefully she opened her eyes to find the robot lying back down again and appeared to be in shut down again when someone suddenly touched her shoulder making her let out a scream.

'It's alright Mei, it's me! Bennett!' Bennett assured her and she relaxed before D'Jok's cries is pain filled he head once again. She ran down to him where Sonny also was and they both tried to relax him as one of the medical Pirates bandaged up his gunshot wound. He must off accidentally hit quite a painful spot and D'Jok let out a roar of pain causing Mei to break into floods of tears and for the first time Mei, Bennett and the other Pirates had ever seen, Sonny's usually calm composure in emergencies was filled with shock horror and worry for his son and he started yelling at the medic to be more careful with his son. Yelling; not ordering. Where Sonny Blackbones was concerned, there was a fine line between the two.

'Poor Sonny Blackbones! His son has a gunshot wound! I wonder how that would sound to the FBI when it's discovered he wandered down here with his girlfriend looking for romance when you Pirate's started randomly shooting everywhere! And also hitting the poor girlfriend soon after... I don't think that story will seem very appealing, do you?' a slithering voice hissed from behind them all and they all looked round to see the girls' kidnapper, Harris, coincide with Dame Simbai, a few robots and...Mei?

'How is that possible...?' Rocket muttered whilst in total shock. He could feel Tia grab on to him tightly and felt her breathing on his ear when she informed him of what he already knew.

'My clone,' she stated and all of what Tia had told him earlier came flooding back to him. He hid Tia in behind him as his protective side came in to play.

'The only way you're going to get out of here is if you surpass me. Succeed in doing so and you're free to leave!' Tia's clone stated and after a moment's stare off with Rocket, she charged towards him. Rocket quickly shoved his Tia back as he began to wrestle with her clone. Taking a deep look in her eyes, images of the two of them in the greenhouse appeared making him lose concentration just like her eyes had then and he fell to the floor. Tia's clone jumped on top of him and brought herself down towards his face to kiss him but Rocket held her back. Giving a slight push, Rocket got her off him and shoved her on to her back where she simply smirked a devilish grin which caused flashing images of his passion nights with Tia to firm a slideshow in his mind. Suddenly, a knock to his stomach knocked him out of his gaze and he bent over in pain. He used to punches from Tia and the guy and the odd ball in the stomach but this was a clone; therefore made out of...pure rocket solid metal. Very, painful.

'Rocket!' Tia screamed and the clone immediately looked up Tia with a scary look in her eyes. Before the clone could move, Rocket grabbed her shoulder and met her gaze.

'Don't touch her or I swear-' Rocket warned when a fist suddenly hit his mouth which sent him plunging to the floor. He remained on the ground in pain for a minute or two when his brain suddenly switched on again and he could comprehend the distressed voices near him. Looking up, he saw...two Tia's fighting each other off. Problem was, which was the clone and which was the real Tia? Without thinking, Rocket jumped up and ignoring the throbbing pain of his left facial features, grabbed one of them by the arm and pulled her up against the wall. 'Which one of you is my Tia?' The Tia that stood in front of him spoke first.

'It's me Rocket, I swear to God it is! You've got to believe me, I-'

'Don't listen to her Rocket; that's the clone and I'm the real one!' the 'Tia' standing freely insured him but now Rocket really had no idea which one was which when an idea occurred to him.

'If you are the real Tia...tell me how you feel about me,' Rocket ordered and without wasting a second she delved into how much she loved him.

'I love you more than anything else in the world! The best feeling I get is when I wake up in 'the morning to find you next to me and you're hazel eyes...those hazel eyes...just look at me with so much love, I get goose bumps and fall for you even more! They're everything I love about you in one. Gentle, kind, shy, handsome, sweet... I love you Rocket, you're everything to me! It's me I swear; please tell me you believe me!'

'Don't listen to her Rocket, that's the clone!' the Tia that could move freely exclaimed and Rocket shot glances between the two before fixing his gaze on the girl in front of him. She looked at him with a shaking fear and a pleading look in his eyes and even when Rocket let one of his arms down, she never moved an inch. Carefully Rocket fixed his hand around something on his belt buckle, but was hidden on his shirt, and slowly began to take it out. When the Tia I. Front of him (whom his gazed was also still fixed on) noticed what he was doing and seen the item, her eyes turned to shock horror.

'Rocket...don't. Please Rocket, it's me!' she cried out as Rocket removed the gun completely from its socket. She gulped nervously before looking away and next thing she heard a loud shot. Opening one eye, she saw Rocket looking at her with a worried expression and she soon opened her other eye and looked over to where the other Tia stood to find what was definitely her clone lying on the ground with a hold in its robotic chest which had wires coming out from it everywhere and electric waves coming out from it.

'How did you know it was me?' Tia asked as she tried to overcome her shock. He knew for certain it was her and she had only expected him to question further or something. She didn't think her pleading with him was enough to tell him it was her.

'When you tell me you love me Tia, you get this…sparkle in your eyes and say it with a tone of voice that there's no way it could be copied. I got that same feeling I get when you say love me and that told me it was you. I just knew it. My love for you told me,' he informed her as he placed a gentle hand on her cheek and looked at her with so much love she couldn't breathe. Maybe it wasn't the place for this but it was most certainly the time.

'Are you alright? That bruise looks rather painful,' Tia stated as she caught sight of the bruise that was starting to appear on the left side of his face from the punch he had received from her clone. She gently stroked it and he flinched slightly but relaxed as the softness of her hand eased his pain.

'It's fine with you near,' he promised her as he gave her a small smile which she returned. When he removed it, so did she before he very gently pressed his lips to hers in a loving kiss which she returned and wrapped her arms around his neck. Breaking away, they gazed at each other with enough love in their eyes to stop all the war in the world.

'I love you,' she whispered lovingly.

'I love you to Tia and I swear I'm never going to give up on you,' he promised and she smiled and nodded in agreement he would never give up on her. 'Come on, let's get out of here!' Rocket told her and she nodded as he grabbed her hand and they ran, completely unaware of the doom they were about to run into…

'Your clone?' Micro-Ice asked the real Yuki that stood in front of him. In fear, she nodded and Micro-Ice gulped. This would not go well. Suddenly, Micro-ice noticed a wall behind the clone with a hole in the middle the size of a football and suddenly a football appeared under the clone's feet and she kicked in to Micro-Ice who caught it under his foot.

'Make you a deal. You beat me, I let you both go,' the clone said and Yuki shot Micro-Ice a nervous glance before Micro-Ice took the ball to the centre and took a shot. He had to admit he was quite proud when he took the shot, he considered it a rather good one, but that changed when the clone saved it. She was faster than even the fastest Ryker player and had skills better than Ahito or Yuki's. This may be tougher than he originally thought. 'Nice try loser!' the clone hissed as she tossed the ball back at him with such force he had to dodge it. Forcing himself to remain calm, he took the ball back under his foot and prepared to shoot again. Thinking of a way to beat her, he thought back to some of the fearsome matches he had faced during some of the Cup. The match that appeared most vivid in his mind was the match against the Xenon's in the finals and the penalty shoot out they had faced. Yes, he had missed but he didn't have the chance to correct himself the second time. Taking a deep breath, he imagined the clone was Luur and that this was his second chance. He kicked the ball hard but once again, failed to score.

'Damn it,' he cursed as the clone messed with the ball in her hands and smirked at him.

'Three strikes and…you're out,' she hissed teasingly to put Micro-Ice under immense pressure as he tried to imagine it was just a normal one-on-one match. That's when it hit him. One-on-one…Netherball. No he had never played the sport himself but he had witnessed Rocket, their skilful captain, play and he remembered every skilful moved he had made against Luur. So Micro-Ice decided to take a risk and try some of Rocket's top notch Netherball moves in order to beat Yuki's clone. A risk but one worth taking. And that's what he did. Instead of shooting directly for a goal, Micro-Ice messed with ball teasingly which confused the clone. The clone didn't know if it should move or stay but chose to stay which made Micro-Ice smirk. He continued to torture her when he sneakily intentionally kicked the ball to his left against the wall and she jumped for it. The force of the ball hitting the wall made it bounce back to Micro-Ice almost immediately but even the speedy clone couldn't keep up. When Micro-Ice had messed around with the ball, the clone couldn't keep up therefore her system got confused especially when the ball bounced back to Micro-Ice so he could kick the ball into the goal with ease. Finally he had scored! What happened then was unexpected. The clone let out a scream making Yuki and Micro-Ice cover their ears. After the screaming stopped as well as the ringing in their ears, the couple looked to find the clone had pretty much exploded and had electrical waves and wires out everywhere. The two could only stare for a few minutes before Micro-Ice coped on and saw that the exit was now free.

'Let's get out of here Yuki,' Micro-Ice insisted as he grabbed his girlfriend's hand and led her away from the nightmare…

'It's over Harris, game over,' Sonny said firmly as he stood up to the menace behind everything as Mei held D'Jok's hand and stared at her clone in shock. The resemblance was beyond creepy.

'Now now Blackbones, you should know that it's not over. Now hand over the girl and we shall be done,' Harris hissed as he gestured to Mei making her go rigid but D'Jok, despite being seriously injured, spoke up in her defence.

'No on your life Harris,' D'Jok told his lover's kidnapper firmly as he squeezed Mei's hand for reassurance. She looked at him nervously before fixing her gaze back on Sonny when he spoke.

'Let them go, they have nothing to do with it,' Sonny said firmly, referring to his son and Mei. Harris simply laughed at this as if Sonny were crazy where as Mei's clone and Simbai kept calm composures and the robots looked, well…robot like.

'They both have everything to do with it Sonny! So hand them over or you get shot,' Harris said and Sonny suddenly found a number of guns being held by the robots pointing directly at him.

'What do you want with D'Jok? He hasn't been involved so far,' Sonny distracted and instinctively Mei realised he had a plan. All she had to do was keep D'Jok distracted and stay low.

'In order to make sure that none of the girl's spilled on our little plan, we had to threaten to hurt their little boyfriend's which they didn't want so they kept quiet. I have to admit that Tia going crazy got us a little nervous but it turned out in our favour in the end until Micro-Ice discovered a valuable piece of knowledge that you lot still aren't aware of and we plan to keep it that way. So hand Mei over or else we'll kill you all, including your already wounded son,' Harris said with a sickening delight as Sonny counted down the seconds in his head. Just a little bit longer. Mei on the other hand had other ideas.

'No!' Mei exclaimed as she dropped her lover's hand and was about to hand herself over when Sonny grabbed her and held her back. 'Sonny, let me go!' Mei ordered him but he refused to.

'Don't Mei!' D'Jok cried out as he strained to even look up with the pain of his leg and tried to ignore it as best he could. Suddenly, Sonny whispered something into Mei's ear.

'Get down!' he ordered and knowing Sonny was not the kind to be reckoned with, Mei did as she was told and got down on the ground before hearing a loud explosion that made her cover her ears. Looking up to see what was going on around her, Mei found another group of Pirates had arrived on the scene (how they knew Sonny and the others were in trouble she didn't know) and were now attacking the robots and the others. She turned back to see some of them helping lift D'Jok so she we went over and assured him she was there and she was fine as one of the Pirates held her back slightly to take cover as they escaped down the hall. It was then Mei realised that Sonny and the other Pirates were not following them.

'Where's Sonny and the others?' Mei asked the Pirate watching her back.

'They're going to follow soon; my concern is to get you out of here safe,' he informed Mei and she reluctantly followed as she worried about Sonny and the others left behind…

'I've got you Tia,' Rocket assured his lover as he pulled her up out of the tunnel. Finally they had reached the surface and were out of that hellhole. 'You alright?' Rocket asked her the second they got out and she nodded as Rocket lifted her up. He smiled as he grabbed her hand and turned to run once again but the second he turned, he bumped into something heavy and fell backwards almost knocking Tia over but she somehow managed to keep her balance and remained standing. Rocket lifted himself up to see what he had banged into to find Micro-Ice lying on the ground in front of him with Yuki standing behind him. 'Fancy meeting you here,' Rocket joked as Tia helped him up and Yuki helped up Micro-Ice up. 'You guys alright?'

'Yeah, we're good. But what happened your face dude?' Micro-Ice exclaimed in seeing the bruise on the left side of Rocket's face which was getting worse.

'Don't ask,' Rocket answered as he grabbed Tia's hand. 'Let's get out of here!' With that, the four ran as fast as they could to the Pirate ship. Finally, they reached it and went straight to the control's room where Artie was.

'Dude's, y'all got out- Whoa Rocket, what the hell happened to you?' Artie exclaimed in seeing Rocket's bruised face as the youngster gripped his lover around the waist whilst Micro-Ice and Yuki were standing beside Artie and checking the monitors to see if they could find out where the others were.

'Don't ask Artie,' Rocket said as he pursed his lips in annoyance. Obviously he couldn't see just how bad it was but it clearly was bad. He was expecting Tia to comfort him or something but she surprisingly didn't and just as he was about to look at her to make sure everything was ok, he suddenly felt her slump against him and start to fall. Acting on instinct, Rocket tightened his grip around her and tried to hold her up as she collapsed in his arms but instead he just lead her slowly down to the ground. He then seen that her face was red with sweat pouring down her face and he felt her head. 'You guys, she's heating up!' Rocket yelled bringing the other's attention to a boiling hot and shivering Tia who was half unconscious. Immediately the others were around her as they tried to think of a way to help Tia and figure out what was wrong with her…

'D'Jok!' Yuki cried out as a number of Pirates carried in D'Jok whose leg was pumping blood and soon a distraught Mei followed in behind them. She was forced to stay back so one of the Pirate medics could attend to D'Jok so Micro-Ice and Yuki took that chance to question her on what happened.

'We were coming back down the hall when we came across a load of robots had completely shut down but one of them behind D'Jok wasn't in shut down and shot him in the leg…' she explained but drifted off when someone in the bed just opposite her caught her attention. 'What's wrong with Tia?' Mei cried as she ran over to her best friend's bedside and stood beside another one of the Pirate medics whilst Rocket was in the bed to try and stop her from shaking. She was shivering from the cold despite her body being boiling hot so Rocket was asked to lie in next to her to calm her down but keep a little space to give some air because she was actually boiling hot despite what she thought. In realising his lover's best friend's presence, Rocket explained to her what had happened to her.

'…I don't know exactly why she's like this though, certain tests still have to be done,' Rocket explained as he stroked Tia's hair and Mei sat down on the bed next to him. Her boyfriend and now her best friend, what next? In seeing Mei's despair, Rocket spoke. 'I know it'll probably be hard Mei but try and forget about Tia and focus on D'Jok. A lot to ask I know but D'Jok needs you. I'll keep you updated with Tia but D'Jok needs you,' Rocket explained and Mei sent him a small smile before nodding.

'You're right. Keep me updated and take care of yourself because she needs you just as much as D'Jok needs me,' Mei told him and Rocket laughed lightly. The two chatted a little when they were soon joined by Micro-Ice and Yuki as they all waited for new on Tia (the Pirate medic looking after her had finished all the tests so they were now awaiting results) and to be allowed to see D'Jok. On top of that, every single person on the ship were awaiting to hear from Sonny and the others and everyone was officially on the red alert after Artie lost all contact with them not so long ago. Finally, some relief was given when they were given the all-clear to see D'Jok. All of them jumped up and Rocket was about to get out of Tia's bed to follow them (even if he didn't want to leave her, still) but was stopped by Mei. 'Stay Rocket. She needs you, I'll tell D'Jok you were asking for him. He's only the other side of the room anyways,' Mei insisted and Rocket smiled at her.

'Thanks Mei,' he told her as he snuggled back in with Tia and Mei sent him a small smile before going to see how her boyfriend was doing…

A while later and still no sign from Sonny and the others and everyone, especially D'Jok, were starting to get worried. D'Jok had lost a lot of blood and couldn't walk just yet but he was ok and had been giving painkillers to ease the pain. But at least he had his gorgeous girlfriend giving him plenty of sympathy so he was totally milking it. News on Tia also was lacking and everyone was getting concerned for her as she was not getting at all better but worse and Rocket was now left sitting by her bedside nervously. Silence was golden for a long time but that was soon filled with hope when Tia's medic came back into the infirmary.

'Is she ok?' Rocket asked worriedly and everyone, including Mei and D'Jok looked to see what was wrong with Tia. The medic opened his mouth to answer Rocket but his expression immediately turned grim when he saw the hope in her lover's eyes and he slowly shook his head. She wasn't ok. 'What's wrong with her?' Rocket asked wearily. He could see the sadness in the medic's eyes and he knew he wasn't going to like what he was about to be told. Seeing the pain in Rocket and everyone else's eyes, the medic jumped straight to the chase.

'Tia's dying.'

**FINALLY! All done! Long chapter, took ages to do but I refused to give up! Hope you guys all liked it and in the next chapter we'll see how D'Jok recovers, if Sonny and the other's are ok and if Tia will survive. REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Oh, and for those of you that may be interested, I recently updated my story 'Differences' which latest chapter is a Snow Kid fun chapter with the Snow Kids out on a movie night if you guys want to check it out! And I'm also doing a one-shot for my good friend lianardonis which many of you will enjoy so keep an eye out for that one! Anyways for PP, I will update as soon as I can! **


	24. Poison, Micro Chips and No Cure

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football! **

**Warning: if you are queasy about blood or anything to do with it, then I recommend you do not read a certain part of this chapter. I have marked the beginning and end of the scene with a * so you can read the rest of the chapter. And after, I have done my best to tell you what had happened without the details. Hope you enjoy it anyways!**

Four hours had past and still no sign of Sonny and Tia was getting worse. They couldn't leave Sonny and the others behind but they also had to get Tia to a proper doctor and fast; the Pirate medic didn't have the supplies to help her so he could only do so much. Also, Sonny had warned that should anything go wrong they were not to follow in after him but following that order was becoming extremely difficult. The infirmary on the Pirate ship was in complete silence with Mei and D'Jok lying on the bed together with Mei helping ease D'Jok's pain (his leg was still beyond painful but Mei somehow helped), Yuki was in the chair beside them, Micro-Ice was pacing like mad and Rocket was clutching his lover's hand, praying for her to hold on just a little bit longer as well as trying to help bring her temperature down. He was too focused on helping her to get emotional but he knew that time would soon come. Meanwhile, D'Jok was starting to get dizzy at his best friend's continuous pacing and eventually he just snapped.

'Micro-Ice, will you cut that out? You're really starting to piss me off!' D'Jok exclaimed making Micro-Ice, Mei and Yuki jump out of their skins. Mei simply pulled herself closer to D'Jok for reassurance which he was glad to have as Micro-Ice sat down at the bottom of the bed so not to aggravate D'Jok even further as he knew his best friend was upset enough over his missing father.

A further ten minutes went by of silence when hope filled in everyone's chests when the doors suddenly opened. Their bodies went into depression when Corso entered until...

'SONNY!' Everyone exclaimed when the Pirate leader came into sight. Micro-Ice and Yuki were immediately in stance and D'Jok had tried to move but was held down by Mei who didn't want her injured boyfriend to be in more pain then he already was.

'Dad! Are you ok?' D'Jok asked instead as Sonny approached the four at D'Jok's side of the room but Rocket was watching and listening intently, also concerned for Sonny.

'I'm fine D'Jok, you stay in that bed! You're injury is serious. But I'm fine, promise,' he assured his son and the others with a slight smile when he stepped back into his commander shoes and turned to go over to Tia and Rocket. 'I was told what happened as soon as i got onboard. How is she?' Rocket honestly felt like a tonne of bricks had been taking off his shoulders now that Sonny was here and well. It wasn't that he didn't trust the other Pirates, it was just that Rocket knee Sonny would do all humanly possible for Tia and if there was anyone that could keep her alive until they were at a hospital or could find an antidote to save her, it was Sonny. And with him, there was hope.

'She's just gotten worse and I've tried all I can think of but I can't get her temperature down,' he explained as Sonny felt Tia's boiling forehead.

'That is bad...' Sonny said. '...seriously bad. To be perfectly honest Rocket, I'm surprised she's still breathing. Just keep doing what you're doing as it seems to be working whilst I conjure up a plan but the first thing we're doing is getting that girl to a hospital and fast.' Rocket nodded to this as he continued his actions from before for Tia's sake when something suddenly occurred to Sonny making him turn back to the four behind him. 'Have you girls got the Breath back yet?' Sonny asked and the girls shook their heads.

'Not that we've felt. We felt it coming out of us, if you managed to get it back then I presume we're going to feel it returning to our bodies,' Mei stated logically and Sonny nodded and seemed in deep thought.

'Ok then... Well, tell me if you guys feel it. Something happened to it but I'm not sure what. Harris in the meantime...' Before Sonny could continue his explanation of what happened in his face-off with the kidnappers, Tia suddenly let out a scream and sat up. She began to inhale rapidly before falling in to a fit of coughing making her boyfriend freeze in shock for a moment before trying to calm her down. He felt his body wince as trickles of blood escaped her mouth and her nose started to bleed but her coughing never ceased. Suddenly, more fear overcame everyone (everyone else were in too much shock to react to Tia's sudden fit) when Mei also started into a fit of coughing but hers was much more stronger sounding then Tia's making D'Jok guess that Mei's was much more painful than Tia's. D'Jok did what he could to comfort her but the pain of his leg prevented him from doing all he could.

Yuki's eyes widened in shock when a strange feeling arose in her chest which Micro-Ice noticed and was instantly by her side as she delved into a coughing fit though hers wasn't quite as severe as Mei or Tia's. Mei's nose also started to bleed and Tia's continued when suddenly, they boys had to let go of their girlfriend's when their hands started to burn. Pulling away, they suddenly noticed blue sparks coming out from the girls' bodies telling them they got their Flux back. The second the blue sparks faded away, the coughing died down and the girls fell back so the boys could now touch them again.

'What happened...?' Mei asked as she sat up though feeling quite dizzy. Yuki also was waking up but Tia however, remained lying down but once the blood was wiped from her nose and mouth, she seemed fine in that sense but she was dying; she still looked extremely ill. Rocket asked the Pirate medic to watch Tia and cool hessian for a moment which he did, allowing Rocket to run over to the others and figure out their plan.

'Are you girls alright?' Sonny asked them and everyone was relieved when they nodded.

'We got our Flux back,' Mei confirmed as she lay back against D'Jok's warm and safe embrace, allowing him to stroke her hair.

'So I see!' Sonny said before ordering Corso to get everyone ready to take off as he explained to the others what went down. 'Ok, listen up...' He explained to them the details Tia all ready knew like why the girls were kidnapped and what Simbai had to do with things. 'We took care of Harris, that I promise you. Unfortunate for him, he was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time just as a roof was collapsing. We destroyed Mei's clone, that was surprisingly easy but we took it back on board with us so we can see how he did it. We also took Simbai with us as we came across some files before we bumped into Mei and D'Jok that contained profiles containing the people who were micro chipped and Simbai was in that list which is why she was doing all this. I also believe she's the only one that knows of some way to save Tia and we've tried to get it out of her but she refuses to say anything. We're trying to figure out a way now to get rid of the micro-chip so she'll tell us then but we don't want her to lose her memory either. And Yuki, you're now safe just so you know. We read on your profile that your micro-chip had been destroyed so you're ok...' Yuki sighed with relief at that and just as Sonny was about to continue, someone pining Rocket's name from behind them caught everyone's attention. Instantly, Rocket ran over to his girlfriend (the medic knew the second Tia spoke how Rocket would react and was well out of the way) and clutched her hand as she moved her head-eyes closed-and made her aware that he was there.

'I'm here Tia, I'm here,' he hushed her as he gently stroked whilst everyone else looked on for any sign of hope of survival for their loved one.

'Help me...' she begged him and Rocket had to force himself to stay strong and not breakdown at the pain in her voice. She was suffering hard, they all could tell.

'We'll get you through this, I promise just stay with me...' Rocket pleaded with her as her body went still again and looked as if she hadn't spoken at all making Rocket's body boil in frustration. 'Stay with me Tia!' Rocket cried as he tried to control his emotions. Sighing, Rocket realised she was out once again but whether she would wake up again or not, he didn't know. Suddenly, he felt an arm on his shoulder and look up to find Sonny looking at him.

'Come with me,' he ordered and despite not wanting to leave Tia, he went with him as the others passed looks in worry for Tia. They all got lost in their own thoughts for a while and wondered what was going on with Sonny and Rocket. Mei in particular though had her mind firmly on Tia. They were best friends; she didn't want her to even be hurt let alone die. However, Mei's mind was temporarily shifted to her boyfriend when he let out a cry of pain loud enough to send a ringing through everyone's ear until they registered the fact that D'Jok was suddenly in absolute agony...

Rocket followed Sonny cautiously, wondering why but mostly where Sonny was taking him. Suddenly, they entered into what appeared to be a small room with a big window to the right wall. When Rocket registered the situation, he realised it was Simbai on the other side sitting at a table with Corso and Bennett in the room with her, probably interrogating her but with the chip in her brain, she had no emotions. It was then Rocket copped on that it was in fact a special mirror where he could see in but she couldn't see out; like the ones in those police shows and movies. Rocket at first wasn't really paying any attention, until a certain someone's name was brought up.

'How can we cure Tia?' Corso asked in a tone telling Simbai to answer or else there's trouble. But with the microchip in her head, caring was hard to do (because of the way her chip was programmed and Rocket could tell this wasn't the Simbai he had first met) so she kept quiet. 'There's a girls' life on the line here now tell me how we can cure her!' Corso snapped which made Rocket shiver. Clearly Tia had made an impression on all the Pirates when they helped her save her parents, Corso wasn't one that handed out respect unless someone earned it and it was clear Tia had earned quite high respect from him.

'No,' Simbai spoke with a tone that Rocket had never heard before but it made the blood in his body boil with fury. However, it wasn't until she said the next thing that he really hit the roof. 'There is no cure.' At that exact moment, Rocket snapped and before Sonny could even speak let alone stop him, Rocket was out of the room like a light-bolt and next thing Sonny knew, he saw the distraught teenager in the other room and was after slamming his fist on the table which made everyone jump.

'You know there is now what is it?' Rocket yelled. Sonny knew there was an antidote; he had said that. Rocket had been thinking about it to in Sonny's absence and even though there were many reasons as to why Tia was like this, Rocket had considered that they must have injected her with something when she was in that room and he had heard her let out a painful scream. He had also taking note of the room when he was saving her and it did look very scientific so anything could've happened to her but there was a cure; Rocket could feel it. He just didn't know if it was his head telling him like it was or his heart praying and hoping there was a cure so she wouldn't die.

'Rocket you shouldn't be in here!' Sonny exclaimed as he overcame his shock and had joined him. A part of Sonny though didn't want to turn Rocket away but he knew Rocket shouldn't be in this position with his state of mind. The woman he loved was dying in front of his eyes; of course that was going to affect Rocket emotionally.

'No Sonny! This is about Tia now so, what's the cure?' Rocket yelled again as he turned himself back to Simbai. Just as Sonny was about to drag Rocket away, Simbai spoke making everyone turn to listen.

'There is no cure. She's going to die,' Simbai replied as if it didn't matter but to Rocket, it mattered more than anything. The anger he once had was overpowered by emotion as he felt his knees buckle under him but he managed to keep himself upright.

'No...' Rocket sobbed when anger overtook him again as he realised that once Simbai was micro chipped, they had no hope. 'NO! She can't die, she just can't!' he yelled as he turned and slammed his fist into the wall. He missed the window by inches but the collision with the wall wasn't any less painful. Everyone was so engrossed with Rocket that they has failed to notice Simbai's eyes widen and her expression turned to one of...realisation; as if something had snapped inside her. However, Artie running into the room with sweat dripping down his face and was breathing like he had just ran a marathon.

'Sonny...you have to come...its D'Jok...something's wrong...' Artie gasped out and without wasting another second, Sonny legged it out of the room behind Artie and they were soon joined by the other two Pirates and Rocket (who was trying to ignore the agonising pain in his hand) and Simbai to follow but no one had noticed her because their minds were focused on D'Jok.

*'D'JOK!' Sonny exclaimed tearfully as he ran into the room and found his son screaming in agony and was being practically forced on to the bed since whatever pain he was in was making his body jump. Sonny feared for the worst when he continued to jump even with Mei trying to hold him and comfort him. He must've been in some serious pain. Sonny was at his right side with the Pirate medic whilst the others were on his left but a good distance back and Mei on the bed whilst Corso helped her to hold D'Jok down.

'I've given him painkillers and strings one at that and have tried to sedate him but something in his bloodstream is killing it. I can't figure out what's wrong!' the Pirate medic admitted fearfully and rather than yelling, Sonny tried hard to think of what to do. Yes, they were on their way to a hospital right now but they didn't know what was wrong with him so they couldn't figure out if he would survive whatever was wrong or not. Before Sonny could come to any plan...Simbai stepped forward?

'Don't ask how, the microchip is gone. Let me help D'Jok,' she informed Sonny. He however wasn't sure if what she said was true so out of instinct, he turned to the teenagers who knew her well and they nodded so Sonny nodded to her and moved aside so she could help his son. 'You said he was shot in the leg and that the sedative was being killed by something in his bloodstream, am I right?' Simbai asked and the Pirate medic confirmed her answer when she suddenly began to undo the bandage around D'Jok's wounded leg. Everyone braced themselves as clearly Simbai had her suspicions as to what was wrong with D'Jok but even that knowledge couldn't have prepared them for what lay beyond. As Simbai undid the bandage, they expected to see the gunshot wound; covered in red blood and all. But what they saw was quite different. It was clearly a gunshot wound with the red blood and all but on top of that, something green ran through his blood also. Also, the veins on his leg right down to his foot and up to just below the knee, were green. He no longer had purple or blue veins; they were green and sick green at that to. Mei couldn't bring herself to watch and the others could only stare in shock when Rocket caught on to what had happened.

'He's been poisoned,' he stated and Simbai nodded before muttering some random orders to the Pirate medic who ran to oblige her. The bullet had been removed from the wound but clearly the poison had taken affect before that. Now everyone had to wait and see what miracle's Simbai could perform on him.

'Right, this isn't going to be pretty so you may want to look away but I'm going to have to cut his leg open here and now. The poison is spreading through his body too quickly and it's killing off everything we give him. I can't suck it out because it's in too deep and there's too much. Let me see what I can do to his leg first and then I can get it out of his bloodstream.' At the end of the explanation, Yuki had buried her head in Micro-Ice's chest since she couldn't bare to watch and in seeing how afraid and vulnerable Mei looked, Rocket went over to her and placed an assuring arm around her shoulder. She sent him a small smile of thanks before turning back to D'Jok; focusing on his face and preparing herself for the screams of pain and the jumping she guessed he would be doing. Another reason Rocket had come closer.

As the Pirate medic returned with some surgical tools, Simbai firstly out on gloves before picking up the surgical scalpel. She looked at everyone in pre-warning before she gently pierced D'Jok's skin and tried her best to make it as less painful as possible. D'Jok's screams of pain almost knocked Mei off the bed so Rocket took it into his hands to hold D'Jok down with Corso and Sonny who was now holding down D'Jok's thigh to make it easier and quicker for Simbai to do what she had to do. It helped but the time seemed never ending to everyone; especially Sonny and Mei, who was holding on to her lover's hand for dear life and focusing on his face. It was pure torture for her; she couldn't begin to imagine the pain D'Jok was in. His screams were enough to tell him he was in lots of pain.

Finally, Simbai had cut through the skin she had wanted to and had some kind of pump or something which she placed in the wound and did her best to suck in as much of the poison as possible. She could've made it go faster so the pain D'Jok was now in (which everyone knew was more painful than her cutting through his leg by D'Jok's screams which brought Mei to floods of tears as she had tried her hardest to stay strong the first time) but D'Jok had lost enough blood already that if he were to lose more, then he would surely die. She would be sucking in his blood if she went much faster and she couldn't risk it. She could risk maybe a few drops of blood but not litres. With the help of the Pirate medic, she did what she could to help D'Jok as much as possible and after just under ten minutes, she had finished sucking up the poison which was now in a clear bottle and was stitching him up. She clearly had helped D'Jok's pain immensely since he was calm and silent now and breathing heavily but at least he was calm. Rocket then had allowed Mei to reclaim her seat but not without her giving her thanks to him. Even with Tia dying, Rocket still had time for others. Rocket checked on Tia to make sure she was the same at least or improving before returning to D'Jok's side when Simbai had finished stitching him up. *

'Basically the bullet contained a poison which instantly started to spread as soon as it came into contact with D'Jok. Thankfully the majority of it was only in his leg but some of it has spread throughout the body which the only way I can get rid of is by making a potion I know of that will kill the poison but the only way the poison will be removed from D'Jok's system is by him vomiting which the potion will help him do but it will only be for a few hours and he should recover rapidly after that. However, it won't be until then will I be able to determine whether or not he'll have movement in his leg or not but it's too early to tell. Give me five minutes to make that antidote and then, I'll look at Tia.' With that, Simbai left everyone to collect her thoughts...

'Her pulse is weak but regular and her temperature is...' Simbai couldn't find the words to tell Rocket how bad she was but Rocket figured it out for himself.

'Is there a cure?' Rocket asked. He didn't care about him or anything else. All he cared about was keeping her alive.

'They injected her with something but I don't know what or what was in it. I need to take some blood samples and do some more tests when we get back and only then will I be able to answer that question directly. I can assure you though that I'll be able to keep her alive for a day or two at least,' she assured him and not really sure of what to say, Rocket nodded. Simbai then met with Sonny in the centre of the room to discuss her patients' progress and also to tell Sonny all she knew about the kidnapping. Rocket and Mei in the meantime comforted their lovers best they could whilst Micro-Ice let a sleeping Yuki on his lap and held her close. Everyone stayed quiet then as they impatiently to arrive home when Mei's job became nurse as D'Jok suddenly woke up and began to vomit like Simbai had predicted. Mei had been quick and had the bucket under him allowing him to vomit into it whilst she comforted him but couldn't stop the shivers escaping her body. She hated seeing him in pain; it tore her heart out from inside her. Please let him be alright…

**D'Jok might never have mobility in his leg and Simbai doesn't know if there's a cure for Tia? Oh drama…**


	25. Facing Death and Unwanted Questions

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

'Give me an hour Rocket and I'll be able to tell you more,' Simbai said to Rocket after finishing Tia's tests and the lost lover nodded with a thanks before Simbai left to conclude the results whilst Rocket clutched his dying lover's hand. After Rocket's hand bandaged up since he had done some damage when he punched the wall, they had arrived home no more than two hours ago and both Tia and D'Jok had been quickly rushed to proper rooms to be treated. Tia was getting worse so Simbai had ordered the Pirate medic and the others to take an unconscious (and still unconscious last Rocket heard) D'Jok to one room whilst she, Sonny and Rocket took Tia to another where she could do some tests. She had succeeded in bringing Tia's temperature down slightly but it was now jumping and she was continuing to shiver like before. What made her worse than before though was that Tia now couldn't breathe properly and her heartbeat was slipping slowly forcing Simbai to put her on an oxygen mask and life support machine upon the arrival of her parents' who had retreated to mourn in peace over the news and tragic sight of their daughter. Rocket in the meantime was concerned about keeping her alive and it wasn't until now he had time to reflect on the reality of what was going on. Clutching her lifeless hand, he thought and thought when he couldn't take it anymore.

'I don't know if you can hear me...' he began, confessing his feelings to his soul mate even though she probably couldn't hear him. '...but sure... For the past few months in my bedside locker I've had a small box with a ring inside it. I was waiting for the right moment to ask you but when everything happened... I guess I was more worried about your health then asking you to marry me but the thought still didn't leave my head. Then when you started to get better, I was trying to pluck up the courage to ask you and then this. I love you Tia, you mean everything to me and I don't know if you can hear me but if you can, please pull through this! Remember that promise you made me...?'

Lying in the snow on their backs, Rocket and Tia gazed up at the stars when Rocket felt her emerald eyes watching him making him turn to face her angelic face. A smile spread across her face like it did his when she spoke with her gentle voice.

'You know I would do anything for you, right?' she spoke randomly and he took that chance to then on his side towards her and pull her close from around the waist; making her to flip on to her side.

'Yeah but there's only one thing I'll ever ask you to do for me Tia: stay with me...forever,' he almost begged and with that, she placed a soft hand on his cheek.

'I promise.' With that, he pulled her into a passionate kiss...

'I'm not holding it against you but please Tia, if there's any way then please survive. I don't want to lose you, I want to kiss you again, hear you say you love me and marry you. I just want you to be here so please Tia, if there's anyway...survive,' Rocket cried as his heart took in the situation and fell apart. But despite his pleads, Tia never stirred making her broken hearted boyfriend shred tears over the thought he might possibly lose her.

Mei quickly changed the damp cloth on D'Jok's head to a colder one to help bring down his temperature and hopefully stop his shivering. So far, nothing had worked as he still hadn't awoken and he was still shaken up from the excruciating pain he had faced. Mei to was still shaken and was honestly scared half to death right now of what the poison was doing and what it could do to him but she was trying to stay strong for his sake. He needed her now more than ever. Suddenly, the door of the medical room opened and in came Sonny, determined to find out how his son was doing.

'Hi Mei, how is he?' Sonny asked his son's lover as he took the other seat next to Mei by D'Jok's bedside. He couldn't help but notice her sigh and bite the inside of her cheek before she answered.

'Honestly, I don't know. And we probably won't know until he wakes up…if he wakes up.' Mei whispered the last part so quietly that if it weren't for Sonny's Pirate senses, he never would've heard her.

'He will Mei, just give him a chance,' Sonny assured her gently but it was going to take a lot to ease Mei's worries.

'But what if he doesn't Sonny? He wouldn't have gotten himself into this if he wasn't trying to save me…' Mei was quickly cut off by Sonny who knew his future daughter-in-law well enough to know what was going through her head.

'Stop right there Mei. It's not at all your fault; D'Jok didn't have to save you but he decided to because he loves you and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. What he would want you to do is have faith he'll wake up and will be fine in the end of all this. With your love and support he will.' Mei for a second had to catch her breath. It was rare that Sonny Blackbones, _the_ Sonny Blackbones who was the Pirate's leader, spoke how he felt on such an emotional level. Honestly, it touched Mei deeply especially since he was one of the people she trusted most in this world.

'What's gotten into you? You're going all soft on us,' Mei joked in order to try and loosen up the mood which she succeeded in doing. She could tell Sonny wasn't good at the whole emotional level and she didn't want to pressure him into venturing it further as it would make him feel uncomfortable. Besides, he had made an excellent point that Mei quickly took on board.

'Another time Mei, another time…' Sonny replied jokingly making Mei giggle at her future father-in-law and from there, the two began to really connect on a different level then they had before. They joked and chatted and Mei tended to D'Jok as they waited for him to recover and surprisingly, the shivering died down and his temperature was quickly back to normal. Mei knew the incident would leave him traumatised for sometime but at least his health would be back to more or less normal now. Sonny clearly felt the same way as he seemed less stressed after a while and the two were relaxed. But soon Mei nodded off despite herself which left Sonny to tend to his son and he made sure Mei was warm first by placing a blanket around her as she slept. After sitting down himself to rest or even catch up on some sleep, stirring from his son caught his attention and then suddenly, his eyes fluttered open and he seemed dazed for a second. In order to make sure he didn't have a panic attack or anything, Sonny plopped himself on D'Jok's bed to make his son aware of his presence but quickly hushed him when he opened his mouth and gestured to a sleeping Mei. D'Jok looked and smiled when he saw Mei before turning back to Sonny to find out all he had missed out on and couldn't remember; Sonny soon learned that the second D'Jok had been hit with the poison, all that had happened after was now blank to D'Jok but Sonny filled his son in on all he wanted to know.

D'Jok had to admit that the whole poison thing had him shook up but now that he was awake, Simbai could do tests to discover the extent of the damage which D'Jok didn't want to do until Mei woke up and he knew she was fine. Of course he knew she was; he just wanted some extra reassurance. He had no idea if it was day or night; the whole kidnapping thing had their sleeping schedule flipped way out of line but the relief of everything almost getting back to normal eased off the pressure a bit. Once Sonny had finished filling D'Jok in, he received a phone call from Clamp telling him Simbai wanted to see him about something to do with Tia (whom D'Jok was also worried about since it didn't sound like she was doing too well at all) so his father wished him well before going off leaving D'Jok to think and watch his darling Mei sleep peacefully.

Mei had always been his main priority and this feeling had only become stronger since the kidnapping. He was so scared of losing her; it wasn't until now he realised just _how_ much he cared for her. However, it did make him realise just how much he loved her and wanted to marry her just to prove to her how much he loved him and same vice versa. In thinking of Mei, he suddenly heard a loud gasp and looked to see Mei sitting up in the chair with the blanket on the floor and her breathing rapid.

'Mei?' D'Jok asked worriedly and tried to move but failed miserably since his leg was well wrapped up and was unable to move at all really. He kept his fingers crossed though that it wasn't permanent. Mei for a second seemed confused at the voice that said her name until she registered it and met D'Jok's gaze.

'D'JOK!' she cried out in relief as she hopped on to the bed beside him having almost completely forgotten about the dream she was after having. 'How are you feeling? Are you ok?'

'Stiff but fine. How about you?' D'Jok said and Mei smiled as he said this.

'Better now that you're awake,' Mei assured him as she gently rested her head on his shoulder and pulled him close. D'Jok was unsure as to exactly what she was feeling until he saw small tears leak from her deep blue eyes making him pull her even closer and stroke her hair for reassurance. He gently hushed her as he knew it was probably just the stress of everything that had happened releasing itself when she finally confessed her reasons. 'I thought you'd never wake up.' That had confirmed D'Jok's thoughts of what the dream was about (he guessed it had something to do with what happened) and he instinctively kissed her forehead.

'But I am and I'm fine Mei, I promise you,' he assured his beloved and smiled at her gently. Smiling back at him, Mei gently placed a hand on his soft cheek and stroked it gently with the back of her hand.

'I love you,' she whispered softly.

'I love you to.' With that, the two shared a small kiss before Mei fell into her lover's embrace and the two stayed silent as the events that had previously occurred still swirled in their mind. However, the silence was soon interrupted when a thought suddenly occurred to D'Jok.

'Mei…'

'Yeah?' As she said this, Mei looked up at D'Jok to find him looking at her with a curious expression.

'Why didn't you tell me what happened when you came back the first time…?'

Stroking Tia's hand with his thumb, Rocket thought back to the information he had been given almost an hour ago and the decision he would soon have to make…

'_Well? Dame Simbai?' Rocket asked as he jumped off his chair towards the medic who had just entered with Sonny. Soon, his parent's and Tia's parents were around also to discover if there was anyway their loved one could stay alive. _

'_There's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that there is an antidote that could save her but the bad news is that…the same antidote could kill her instantly. I can't discover what it'll do to her; it all depends on Tia and her state of mind. But if I don't give her the antidote, then she will die. I'm sorry but there's nothing more I can do…'_

The room then came to a standstill as they all tried to comprehend the fact that there was a two out of three chance that their beloved Tia would die and Rocket soon found all eyes on him which her parent's explained why by telling him that it was his choice whether or not to give the antidote. Then everyone left him to decide but Simbai gave him a clear warning that he had no more than an hour as she was sure Tia wouldn't last much longer. Needless to say, that sent shivers down Rocket's spine but he was quickly by her bedside anyways and tried to decide what to do.

Then Sonny came by and discussed the matter with Rocket to which everything sunk in with Rocket and he had to try and grasp with his tears. However, what made him calm down and think straight was something powerful that Sonny had said…

'…and losing my wife was the toughest thing I've ever had to deal with. And I still think of her now every day. But what gets me through is knowing that she's not going to suffer because of what I do…'

Rocket knew Tia was suffering and if she died, it would all end but it would painful on her. If he gave the antidote, she could die instantly but wouldn't be in as much pain and it would end quick and fast for them all. And also, if he gave her the antidote, she at least had some chance of survival. If he didn't give her the antidote, she wouldn't have any chance. Rocket considered that intensely for a few minutes before making a decision. He stroked her hair gently as her body trembled before speaking.

'Why didn't you tell me what happened when you came back the first time Tia…?' he muttered before bending down and gently pressing his lips onto hers for what could be the last time. His body sighed in defeat when he received no response from her before he backed away and Simbai entered the room.

'Give her the antidote…'

Rocket, Sonny, Tia's parents and Rocket's parents were gathered round Tia's bedside (but a bit of a distance back to give Simbai room) as Simbai was injecting the needle with the antidote that was either going to save Tia or put her at peace for good. At this point, no one could bear to look at Tia who looked like a zombie but had sweat dripping down her face and her body was trembling so much, Rocket was just waiting for her to fall out of the bed. Suddenly, everyone brought their attention to Simbai who was stroking Tia's arm with a cotton bud and with a nod from Rocket; she pierced Tia's skin with the needle making her jump and injected her with the antidote. As the needle pierced Tia's skin, Rocket felt as if his own heart was being pierced by a million needles and found it too painful to watch. But when a piercing, drowning out noise was suddenly heard; Rocket looked at his lover's heart monitor and soon felt a tear slide down his cheek…

'I hope Tia's going to be ok…' Yuki sighed as she fell into Micro-Ice's embrace after a long day. The two were the only couple that had come out unscathed after the incident but watching how scared and in pain Rocket and Mei looked at their lovers sent shivers down Micro-Ice and Yuki's spine. But they had heard D'Jok was awake and undergoing some tests so Tia was kind of the top priority at the minute since Simbai had informed everyone she won't make it through the night but she was working on something to try and save her. Everyone basically had their fingers crossed that there was some way.

'I hope so to,' Micro-Ice replied as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead which made Yuki turn her face round to him. Gently Micro-Ice leaned before pressing his lips on hers as they embraced into a passionate kiss. They continued to kiss passionately as Micro-Ice slowly flipped her around on her bed and she soon found herself fiddling with his shirt. With his help, she removed it before they ran out of breath and Micro-Ice started to lick and suck down his girlfriend's neck before their tongues finally met and started a battle for dominance. But just as Yuki was about to start on her own shirt, Micro-Ice pulled back.

'What's wrong?' she asked worriedly in seeing his confused expression and after a few moments, he found the words to speak.

'Why didn't you tell me what happened when you came back the first time…?'

**Happy Christmas Everyone! Hope you all have a good one! **

**Lauren xxx**


	26. Protecting People, Forgetting and Death

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

The entire room froze and the only thing that could be heard was the ticking off the clock on the wall as Keira and Norata watched their son's heart fall to pieces in front of their eyes. A tear leaked from one of his eyes as did all he could to hold himself together but knowing he had lost Tia was too much for him to bare (even if he was prepare for it) and pretty soon more tears began to fall as he clenched his fists. Norata and Keira had wanted to go and hug their son and comfort him but he had just lost his beloved Tia whom they knew better than anyone was pretty much Rocket's reason for living. No matter what they said, they couldn't help their son. Meanwhile, Tia's parents too were in distress over the loss so Norata and Keira offered to take them away and try to calm them down. Rocket they had no hope with; his love for Tia was for too great and that had only grown since the recent incident and after watching Tia go through it day-in-day-out; it was natural for Rocket to feel the most distraught that she had fallen at the final hurdle. Simbai soon followed the two couple's to give Rocket some alone time and to help calm Tia's parents down. Simbai had had some experience with this kind of thing so she knew how to calm someone down but of course she couldn't ease the pain. She was unsure of how she was going to help Rocket though. That was a different matter altogether. Soon Rocket was alone and all he could do was stand there with his head bowed and tears slowly linking from his eyes before he finally decided to look at his lover's lifeless body. The second he lay eyes on her, he could almost feel someone piercing his heart and tearing it apart. His heart was gone; along with her-his beloved Tia. Dragging his feet along the floor, he moved to her bedside and sat down in the chair next to her bed and gazed at her. The pain he felt inside his chest right now was almost unbearable and if his body wasn't in total shock right now; he didn't know what he would've done. Obviously he half expected this to happen but nothing could've prepared him for the pain he was going to feel. Nothing.

Rocket watched her lifeless face from the corner of his eye, he noticed something twitch. He looked to where he imagined it but Tia's pale hand was the only visible item that was moveable there but she had just passed away; of course she couldn't move her fingers. However, just as Rocket was about to look away again something twitched and this time he knew for certain that it was in fact his beloved's fingers.

'That's impossible...' Rocket muttered before looking for the switch to turn back on all the monitors Simbai had turned off as they thought they weren't needed. Finally he found it and turned it on before quickly turning to Tia's heart monitor...which pretty much said Tia's heart was beating a rhythmic pattern. Rocket's eyes widened in shock before he ran and popped his head out the infirmary door.

'DAME SIMBAI!' he yelled down the corridor and the instant he heard footsteps; he was at Tia's side again. He put a hand just over her mouth for a split second and when he felt her breath, he pulled it away again when Simbai and the others re-entered the room. 'She's alive,' Rocket somehow managed to gasp out and everyone typically gave him confused looks.

'That's impossible, I was sure...' Simbai said as she came up beside Rocket but when she seen Tia's monitor and her chest slowly moving up and down; she realised that what Rocket was saying was true. However, she still grabbed the thermometer and checked Tia's temperature. Her body heat was normal; no fever, no nothing. Tia was...Tia again. Finally, Simbai back to Rocket (who had retreated back to his parent's), Norata and Keira and of course Tia's parents to inform them of her verdict.

'Tia's alive.'

'D'Jok, I-'

'Please Mei. You could've told us what happened to after you were kidnapped the first time and we could've stopped Yuki from getting kidnapped and Tia wouldn't be so sick like is now if u had to have told us when it happened. Why didn't you?' D'Jok asked and made sure Mei was looking him straight in the eye so she wouldn't be able to refuse him.

'You, D'Jok,' Mei whispered so softly D'Jok only just caught it. He was unsure of what she meant and was about to ask when she explained herself. 'They threatened to harm you if I said anything. I couldn't let that happen.' D'Jok froze in shock as he took in what Mei was saying and unable to find a reply, he just pulled her closer to him which allowed her to fold into his warm embrace when Sonny suddenly re-entered the room and they both instantly knew something was wrong…

'What do you mean you think she'll die?' Mei exclaimed after Sonny had returned from visiting Tia's room. Sonny then made the mistake of spitting out that he didn't think Tia was going to survive and this made Mei snap who was sitting on the bed next to her boyfriend who had an arm round her waist and he pulled her closer when he realised she was upset.

'Mei-'

'No D'Jok!' she yelled, shocking D'Jok but he then took the hint to stay quiet. 'There's only a possibility she'll die, it may not happen!'

'You didn't see her Mei; you don't know how sick she looks. I'm just telling you to be prepared for the worst because there is quite a high chance she won't pull through,' Sonny explained and the news about her best friend slowly started to sink in for Mei.

'I hope you're wrong Sonny,' Mei muttered but Sonny didn't take anything she said to heart as he knew the girl was just upset. D'Jok too was upset by the news as he may not have shown it that often, but he did think of Tia like a sister so he too would be distraught if she passed. Thinking this made D'Jok think of Rocket and the state his friend/teammate must be in right now and the decision that was resting on his shoulders.

'Have you talked to Rocket?' D'Jok asked his father as he left Mei to digest the news so she would calm down and allow him to comfort her then.

'I wanted to come and tell you two first to give him some space but I'm going to go talk with him now. He needs a bit of guidance right now.'

'Go; we'll be fine,' D'Jok insisted and just as Sonny was about to reply, Simbai entered the room. Sonny nodded to D'Jok before he left the room and Simbai gave Mei a quick once over before checking out D'Jok's leg. They all stayed quiet as the news of Tia was still lingering around them and no one really knew what to say. Mei sat in the chair next to D'Jok's bed in complete utter silence and her paleness was starting to concern D'Jok. After changing the bandages on D'Jok's leg, Simbai broke the never ending silence.

'You're going to have to rest up for a couple more days to allow the wound to start to heal and allow the traces of poison still left to be completely swiped out before we can try and get you to walk again. As far as I can make out though with your test results, you _should_ be able to walk but it will take a number of weeks before you can walk properly and not feel pain. You'll be out from football for a number of months also and you won't be doing much with your leg. The less you do, the quicker you'll heal,' Simbai explained and this was both good and bad news to D'Jok. Mei on the other hand seemed occupied on other matters which was confirmed when she finally spoke to Simbai.

'Do you think Tia will die Dame Simbai? I'm not Rocket; tell me what you honestly think. Please,' Mei begged and Simbai and D'Jok exchanged looks before the medic replied.

'I mean it when I say I don't know Mei. It all depends on Tia herself so I can't say. I'm sorry.' With that, Simbai decided to leave the shocked lovers alone to think things through and the second the door was closed, D'Jok decided to take matters into his own hands.

'Try not to think about it Mei…'

'Don't even finish that sentence D'Jok because you don't get it,' she warned before continuing. 'She's my best friend. She's helped me through everything and I may never get to thank her or hell even say goodbye,' Mei sobbed as everything finally sunk in and he broke down in tears. D'Jok was quick to grab her hand and pull her on to the bed before holding her in his arms. He rubbed her back soothingly but knew that he couldn't really do much to help her pain.

'I do get it Mei. I know how I would feel if it were Micro-Ice so believe me, I get it. Just try not to think about it too much hun because you're just going to think the worst and lose all hope. There is still some hope left for her,' he promised and Mei nodded before continuing to cry into her boyfriend's shoulder when D'Jok suddenly realised. 'Mei…you're not wearing your ring. So do you remember that we got engaged?'

'What do you mean Micro-Ice?' Yuki questioned her boyfriend as she had not fully understood his question.

'Like, when you kidnapped. You came back but you wouldn't tell us what happened. Why didn't you? We could've helped you,' Micro-Ice explained as his mature and caring side combined into one and even his loving girlfriend had to catch her breath when that came into sight. She also had been seeing it quite a lot lately.

'Same reason the other girls didn't. Because they threatened to hurt you if I did spill my guts and I couldn't let that happen. I care about you too much,' Yuki admitted shyly. Then what happened next surprised her. She honestly had expected him to cringe away because he was just as shy as she was when it came to this venting-out-feelings stuff but he didn't. No, this time he did something that sent Yuki's nervous system into overdrive-he kissed her. But not their normal kissing. This one was slow and Yuki was left breathless when he pulled back for a second due to the overwhelming passion. Micro-Ice wasn't prepared to let it stop there and soon reconnected their lips into an even more passionate kiss as she pulled him down closer to her body. They kissed endlessly for a few moments when Micro-Ice started biting fiercely on her bottom lip asking for entrance to which she happily obliged allowing their tongues to meet and start a battle for dominance. All too soon, the two ran out of breath and Micro-Ice pulled away but continued to lick and suck down her neck as her hands slid under his shirt. Taking the hint, Micro-Ice popped his shirt up over his head before allowing their tongues to meet once again as he began to slide her skirt down her legs. Realising what was going on, Yuki pulled away. 'Are you sure about this?'

'What do you think?' Micro-Ice teased before he gave her a sweet kiss which Yuki took as a positive; allowing them to remove the rest of their clothes…

Rocket was sitting next to a sleeping Tia's bed as he impatiently waited for her to wake up when the door suddenly swung open and in ran Mei who now had sweat dripping down her face since she looked like she had just ran a marathon.

'Is it true? She's alive?' Mei almost pleaded as she gasped out and Rocket smiled and nodded.

'Yeah, she's alive. Thank God,' Rocket sighed with relief and so did Mei in hearing the news she honestly couldn't believe when Sonny told her which was just after D'Jok informed her they were engaged but she couldn't remember a thing. The Pirate leader had been convinced Tia wouldn't make it; so when he told Mei and D'Jok that she had, Mei had to come and see it for herself. Out of breath, she popped into the seat next to Rocket's and tried to regain control of her breathing. Once she had done so, her and Rocket chatted about everything but what had happened since they really just wanted to get away but a question was stuck in Mei's head and as much as she hated asking him, she had to when things went quiet.

'How did it feel…when she 'died'? If you can talk about it that is.' She didn't want to pressure Rocket into telling her because she knew herself that only the possibility of losing someone was heartbreaking. She almost lost D'Jok when he was shot but he pulled through. She couldn't have imagined the pain Rocket went through when Tia 'died'.

'I really can't but I can tell you that I've never felt a pain like it in my whole life. I could almost feel my heart being torn from the sockets and then it being shredded into little pieces. It was so real that I keep thinking this is a dream and when I wake up, I'll find out she's never going to…' Rocket admitted and Mei immediately caught on to what he meant. The feeling of when he lost her was so powerful that he couldn't comprehend that she came back and was alive. It broke Mei's heart.

'When she wakes up it might sink in better. For now though we just have to wait…' Mei said and noticed the small smile appear on Rocket's face. It was then an idea occurred to Mei and she knew she could trust Rocket. 'Can I ask you something?' she asked and he nodded reassuringly as he waited for her question. 'If you asked Tia to marry you and she said yes but something happened and she genuinely couldn't remember getting engaged, how would you feel?' She felt terrible for not remembering something like that; D'Jok too must be upset. He proposed to her and now she couldn't remember. She felt bad for him because he remembered and had a memory to be upset over. Mei had nothing and this news was new to her.

'D'Jok asked you to marry him and now you can't remember?' Rocket asked but not in a judgemental tone like Mei had expected but in a gentle tone and it seemed as if he wanted to be certain of the situation before he gave advice. With that in mind, she nodded so he could then advise her on the situation. 'D'Jok knows you have been through a lot and no one, not even you know exactly what happened when you were kidnapped which he understands. If I were in his position, I would probably ask Tia to marry me again and forget about the first proposal and what she said. But if he doesn't ask you, then if you want to marry him then you can tell him you do or if not then explain to him why. He may be a little surprised right now which is understandable but he understands. I know he does.' Mei had to admit that Rocket had a way with words which she felt he got from Tia because only whenever she talked to Tia about her problems did she feel better after and no one else had made her feel that way until now.

'Thanks Rocket…for everything. You've been like, an older brother to me the past of days you know with D'Jok and Tia and everything… Thanks,' she smiled and Rocket smiled back in response to the new connection the two had formed which probably never would've happened if it hadn't have been for the possible loss of one of the most important people in each of their lives, Tia.

'You're welcome Mei but I believe I owe you a thanks to. Having you there took off the weight a bit when Tia was…you know,' Rocket stammered and she nodded to tell him he didn't have to say much more about that since she understood. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome,' she smiled and he smiled back before Mei checked her watch. 'I really should be getting back to D'Jok but let me know when she wakes up, won't you?'

'Of course! You'll be the first to know,' he assured her with a smile before they said goodbye and Mei left the new brother-like figure in her life…

**Don't ask where the Mei and Rocket thing came out of because I don't know! O.o I guess it was because Tia who they both love dearly died and then came back or something…? Oh well, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter anyways! Plenty more drama to go for 4 more chapters! =D**

**Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all have a great 2011! =D**

**Lauren xxx**


	27. Love, Love and Unexpected Discoveries

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

The following day, things hadn't changed much as Rocket was still by his sleeping girlfriend's bedside but he had been told by Simbai she would be waking up soon which he was relieved to hear. He really missed her, and all he really wanted right now was to hold her and tell her he loved her and hear her tell him she loved him. He was contented with knowing she was alive but he still had to see it to believe it. That pain he felt when he lost her was so…so painful that knowing she was alive was almost too much to comprehend fully. However, when he heard something moving and he snapped out of his daze to see, he found Tia stirring in the way she usually did before she woke up. Her opening her eyes confirmed his thoughts and he had to catch his breath as he saw her sparkling emerald eyes which turned to him when she felt another presence in the room.

'Tia…' Rocket sighed with relief as he pulled some blond hair off her face to see it better and even though she still looked exhausted and ill, she looked so amazingly pretty to him. 'How are you feeling?'

'Exhausted but ok I guess. What happened?'

'You don't remember anything?'

'All I remember is making it on to the Pirate ship and then feeling very dizzy when…the rest is a blank. What happened to me? Is everyone else ok?' she asked, panicking slightly but Rocket was quick to hush her.

'It's alright Tia; let's not talk about that right now. Everyone else is fine, D'Jok got shot in the leg and was poisoned but he's fine now I promise. Let's leave all that for Tia, you just woke up.' Obviously he didn't want her to worry about everything so soon after waking up, but he also didn't want to relive the memory of her 'dying'. It was too heartbreaking and he just wasn't too ready to tell her just yet. Thankfully she nodded when she all of a sudden gently pressed her hand on his cheek.

'Your bruise is healing up nicely,' she smiled as she gently touched the bruise he had received from her clone. He gave her a small smile back as he couldn't react in any other way at that moment in time because he was so engrossed in her eyes. They were so beautiful. Suddenly, she caught sight of his bandaged hand. 'What happened?' she asked he took his hand in hers and slowly started to unravel the bandage to see the damage he had done to his hand after he punched the wall when Simbai was micro-chipped and refused to reveal the cure.

'I just had an accident. It's nothing really, it's fine now,' he tried to reason but even as she absorbed this information, she continued unwrapping the bandage and stayed silent. After unwrapping the bandage and pulling his hand closer to get a better look, she gently stroked it making him flinch when she gently pressed her lips to his hand and surprisingly enough Rocket felt no pain as he stared at her in amazement. As she pulled back, she started to stroke it again with a dazed expression on her face as she watched his hand when Rocket felt a sudden feeling burst inside him. He gently placed two fingers under her chin and pulled her face round to him before he gently placed his lips on hers in a passionate kiss. Rocket felt his heart beat rapidly as he never really believed he would ever kiss her again and as he began to realise she was in face alive, he melted into the kiss with her…

'You alright?' Mei asked her boyfriend as Simbai went off to get the crutches that were to help him walk for a couple of weeks. He seemed oddly uneasy today and Mei had tried to let it pass over her head at first but he just got worse over the course of the day and when Simbai came by to do the check-up, he was totally silent and uneasy which didn't ease no matter how much she comforted him. So now that Simbai was gone, she took the chance to ask but he seemed hesitant to answer but did.

'I don't know Mei,' he admitted and Mei was unsure of what to say. Was it because she couldn't remember getting engaged? Or was his leg bothering him that much he didn't want to tell her? Or was it something else? Before Mei could ask him, Simbai came back into the room with the crutches and when D'Jok's body became tense, a feeling burst inside Mei as she realised the answer to her question…

'You keep getting better at kissing,' Yuki smiled as Micro-Ice continued to kiss her after they had woken up from a long, passionate night together in Micro-Ice's bed.

'But I'm just as good in bed,' he joked teasingly before starting to nip on her bottom lip asking for entrance. She spoke before she obliged.

'I'll be the judge of that,' she teased before allowing them to kiss without any further more distractions and she happily allowed his tongue to enter her mouth. Just as they were about to slide under the covers again, the bedroom door swung open making the two jump apart like lightening and pull the covers right up.

'Hey Micro-WOAH!' the young man yelled as he ran in but he quickly turned round again.

'Artie! Get out of here!' Micro-Ice yelled at the young Pirate whom he had grown quite close to and the two were rather good friend's. Micro-Ice was quite annoyed by the intrusion (now he know how D'Jok and Rocket felt as he often walked in on them) but Yuki seemed to be a little amused by the situation as she had a devilish grin on her face.

'But just before I do…' Artie said as he continued to look away. '…I'd better inform you guys that Tia is alive and well. She woke up earlier and she's fine. Gotta run now kiddos!' With that, Artie was out of the room like a flash of lightening. Now that the moment had been ruined, the room was no longer filled with intense passion but more intense and uncomfortable. It was Yuki that finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

'That's good to hear about Tia,' she said awkwardly which Micro-Ice easily picked up on.

'Yeah…we should probably get dressed and go see what the story is,' he muttered quickly and she nodded which allowed Micro-Ice to get up and gather his clothes. He was about to go into the bathroom to allow Yuki to get changed also but he had one thing to do first. 'Oh, and Yuki?' he asked and when she turned to face him, she felt his lips on hers in a sweet kiss before he broke away, winked at her and then retreated the bathroom as Yuki sat there smiling delightfully to herself. Sighing, she decided she too should get dressed so she pulled the covers off her but as she did so, she noticed something a dark shade of purple on her right wrist so she took it a look at it before she did anything further. As she did so, she found that it was a nasty looking bruise that faded up into her arm and it looked quite serious. _How the hell did that happen_, Yuki thought as she examined the bruise some more and decided to secretly as Simbai to take a look at it for her later.

'YUKI?' Micro-Ice called from the bathroom making Yuki jump and look behind her in case he was in the room but she was relieved to find no Micro-Ice and the bathroom door closed. She didn't want him to worry over something so small.

'Yeah?' she called back.

'Do you know where my underwear is…?'

'D'Jok you have to do this!' Mei told her boyfriend firmly after a few minutes of trying to get him to put his leg on the ground. Why he was refusing, she had no idea but if he wanted to figure out the extent of the damage and help him walk again, he had to put his leg on the ground but despite Simbai and Mei's constant naggings, he refused. He was using the crutches and hopping along fine but that wasn't enough. Eventually, Mei had enough. 'D'Jok, you have to! I don't care what you're scared of, I know you and I know you're scared of something but you have to do this! For me…please.' He was scared of something; maybe the fear of possibly never walking or playing football again since it wasn't official just yet. Or maybe he was just scared of the pain he might feel if he did put his leg down. Another thought in Mei's head was that he knew something that he wasn't telling her and that was the reason. He still had to try and walk properly though. However, it seemed her stubborn and loving self had worked to her favour and he sighed before looking uneasily her and out of instinct, she nodded to him reassuringly. He nodded back before he easily placed his foot on the floor but the second he was fully on the floor, he let out a roar of pain and would've collapsed if Mei and Simbai hadn't had been standing on either side of him to catch him before he hit the floor. 'It's alright D'Jok, I'm here,' Mei hushed him as she stroked the sweat off his forehead.

'Help put him back on the bed,' Simbai said and with a nod, Mei helped her boyfriend sit back down on the bed which was only a step or two away so he could hop easily with the little energy he had. He tried to regain some of that energy and also catch his breathing as he sat there with Mei comforting him in whatever way she could whilst Simbai examined his leg as gently as humanly possible. He flinched a few times but by the time she was finished, nothing more had happened.

'Dame Simbai?' Mei said as Simbai stood back up to give them her verdict.

'Physio is the only thing that's going to help and for about six weeks, you'll have to go everyday starting tomorrow but by the end of the six weeks, you should be able to put your foot down without feeling any pain and soon enough after you'll be able to walk again properly. This will just take time and patience, but everything will be fine in the long run,' Simbai assured him and Mei was happy but she could still feel something was bothering D'Jok…

'How are you doing sweetie? Better?' Keira asked her son's girlfriend after Rocket had left to some stuff but had asked his mum to watch Tia since he didn't want to leave her alone for any moment. Speaking of, Tia was doing a lot better. After an hour or two's rest after waking up, she was sitting up and chatting away and she looked a lot brighter (still a little ill but nowhere near as bad as she was) so Rocket was relieved but still unable to fully comprehend she was here and still breathing.

'I'm doing better thanks. Head's still a little all over the place though, especially with all this medication and stuff,' Tia confessed. Once Tia had woken up, Simbai checked her over and reluctantly decided she had to put Tia on some medication for some stuff like painkillers, things to stop her being sick and other things regarding her health as well as being on a drip. On top of that, Simbai had reluctantly prescribed her some medication to help with her mental illness for like the paranoia and stuff that Simbai could help her with. Some stuff though Tia had to try and grip through herself which was why Simbai had prescribed he some anti-depressants only should she need them. It was a lot for Tia to take in but Rocket knew all of this and helped her take some of the stuff earlier and that kind of thing. There was no way he was losing her again.

'Don't you worry about that; Rocket will sort out all that. You just focus on getting better,' Keira smiled and Tia couldn't help but smile in response when she decided to ask Keira something that Rocket and no one else would tell her.

'What happened to me? Rocket won't tell me and I need to know. I know it's probably wrong of me to ask you since Rocket obviously wouldn't be telling me for a reason but…I need to know.' Tia was thankful she had a close relationship with Keira and knew that if Keira told her to leave it alone for a while, then she knew she had to. As much as she loved Rocket, he was over-protective of her particularly lately and she trusted him but she still wanted to understand why he couldn't tell her. Thankfully, Keira had all the answers she wanted to know.

'Rocket's not telling you because he's not able to yet. It would break his heart telling you. Tia, what happened to you is that you died…' Keira explained to Tia all that had happened from the moment Tia blacked out to when she woke up and Tia understood completely why Rocket hadn't wanted to tell her. It wasn't really for her sake but because he couldn't cope with revisiting the memory of when he thought he had lost her. Tia understood because she knew it would've been the same way if things had to have been in reverse. At the end of the explanation, there was still one thing Tia wanted to know in detail.

'How did he… When I 'died', how did Rocket react?' she asked wonderingly. She didn't know why, but she wanted to know and she was prepared for whatever answer Keira was going to give her.

'I've never seen him in so much pain for more. I mean I've seen in pain but this was… I mean, I knew he loved you Tia _a lot_ but I can't even describe the pain in his eyes when he thought he lost you. I could almost see his heart falling to pieces in front of my eyes so much so that I could almost feel it to. You're not just his world or his life Tia…you're beyond everything to him. That probably seems unbelievable to you but give him time over the next few days and you'll see it. I don't think he even realised how much he loved you before until now. You two are just, meant to be.' Tia honestly couldn't grasp any of what Keira was saying since the thought of Rocket even falling for her in the beginning seemed beyond ridiculous. This was crazy. But before Tia could say anything, Rocket came back and Keira then left the two alone (not without wishing Tia all the best first) and after ten minutes of random discussion, Tia spoke.

'Come here,' she said as she moved over in the bed and pulled over the blanket as a gesture for Rocket to get in beside her but his immediate response was a look of confusion. 'Get in!' she told him and without another word, Rocket got up and slipped in the bed next to her. Pulling the blanket around, he froze in shock as Tia wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. It shocked him because this was the closest he had been to her since just before he found she was dying. 'I love you,' Tia whispered lovingly in a way that Rocket knew that in fact this wasn't a dream but reality and his sweet Tia was still alive and in love with him.

'I love you too Tia,' he whispered as he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead; his emotions finally getting the better of him and the waterworks started. 'I love you so much…'

'I'm scared Mei. I know it's pathetic but I'm scared,' D'Jok said earnestly after Mei had pushed for him to tell her what was bugging him. She knew he was scared though but she didn't know why.

'I know D'Jok but why? You're going to get through this, it'll just take time,' she assured him but D'Jok couldn't grasp that since the pain he had suffered in his leg earlier made it hard for him to believe it.

'You don't know that for sure Mei. There is still a very slim chance I may never walk again. It may be slim but there's still a chance,' D'Jok pointed out and Mei made a quick decision as it was the only way of convincing it would be fine and she would be there no matter what. Leaning over to the bedside table on her side of his hospital bed, Mei took something out of the draw and showed it to him.

'Is that the engagement ring you asked me to marry you with?' she asked and despite the confused look on his face, D'Jok nodded but he got more confused when Mei took it out of the box (she had randomly come across the ring earlier in the day) and handed it to him. He took it with caution and then Mei put her hand out as if telling him to put it on her finger. 'Put it on me,' she told him calmly and D'Jok's expression immediately turned to one of shock. 'Put it on me!' Mei repeated and without wasting another second, D'Jok put it on her wedding finger. Smiling, Mei hopped on D'Jok's lap; cradling his hips and leaning down towards him.

'We are going to get married, have kids, watch them grow and have our grandkids, grow old together, enjoy life…together. Even if that one very slim chance comes true it won't change anything between us which is what's important. I love you, and at the end of the day that's all that really matters. We're going to get you through this because we're together, please don't forget that,' Mei almost begged and D'Jok couldn't find the words to describe how he felt so instead he replied with a nod and a smile before pulling her into a passionate kiss…

'Who were you with last night Yuki?' Dame Simbai asked Yuki wearily as she examined her bruise closely and this question made Yuki uneasy.

'Micro-Ice, why?' she asked though not seeing the importance of the question.

'He didn't touch you, did he?' Simbai asked as she ignored Yuki's question and was now looking the teen right in the eyes.

'What has Micro-Ice got to do with what happened my wrist?' Yuki asked; wanting to find that out before she answered anymore questions. What Simbai said next though caught her completely off guard.

'This bruise was caused by someone, I can tell just by looking at it that someone did this to you and I can tell it only happened last night. I hate to say it but Micro-Ice is the only person here who could've done this,' Simbai explained and Yuki's eyes widened in shock but she couldn't recall Micro-Ice ever been rough to her throughout the night.

Besides, Micro-Ice would never hurt her physically…would he?

**Hehe, I am mean! lol Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Only 3 left =( I promise they'll be the best ever! =D Review please!**


	28. The Side Affects Take Hold

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

'Is everything alright Yuki? You seem a little on edge,' Micro-Ice said to his girlfriend as he gently stroked her arm. She had been uneasy throughout the day and Micro-Ice couldn't put his finger on exactly what was wrong with her. He hoped though she wasn't regretting last night. 'You don't regret last night, do you?' he forced himself to ask.

'No, of course not Micro! I'm just tired; the past while is just starting to have an affect on me now I think. But if you wouldn't mind…I'd rather just, sleep in my own room tonight. Just get my head around things,' she said and Micro-Ice nodded but it was clear he only half-believed her as he knew there was something bothering her. He decided to leave it though for now and let her come to him when she was ready. He wouldn't let it run too far though. Wanting to reassure her he was there and she could come to him, Micro-Ice slid an arm around her shoulders which made her jump nervously and go tense but Micro-Ice guessed it was just her emotions were running high after everything that had happened.

'Give it time Yuki. It's all over now, you'll be fine. I promise,' he assured her as he kissed her hair. Yuki stayed silent and nervously allowed her boyfriend to hold her but it was only a short while before she announced she was going to her room; completely unaware of what lay ahead…

A week later, and things were different in many ways for all three couples. Tia was improving slowly but the first days were tough. She had a reaction to one of the medication she was on and was quite ill but Simbai was quick to nurse her back to health with Rocket's help and replaced her medication with one she wasn't allergic to and her health was fine now; getting better. As well as that, she suffered some nights from nightmares of what had previously happened but she handled it quite well and was there to comfort Rocket that one time he had a nightmare that she died. He was relieved though to see she was handling things quite well and getting better at a rapid pace. Finally, they were happy even if things weren't perfect. D'Jok was getting on ok to. He was happier now that he was officially engaged with Mei again (still a secret to everyone else but she had mentioned it to Rocket) and somehow that made him determined now to get back on his feet again so everyday over the past week he had been to physio and tried his best despite the pain. He tried his best and it was definitely becoming easier for him but painfully slowly. He was trying so hard in fact that Simbai was forcing him to give today a day's rest as he was working extremely hard and she didn't want him to overdo anything either. He was happy though with resting with a happy Mei in his arms all day which was what the two were doing. Meanwhile, Yuki was on her way to see the only person she could talk to right now and when she entered the room, a spark of jealousy ran through her body as she saw Rocket cuddling Tia close to his chest with the two whispering either sweet or dirty thoughts into one another's ear but stopped when they felt Yuki's presence.

'Yuki! Hey!' Tia welcomed with the big smile everyone had not seen for quite a while (Rocket was most probably whispering dirty thoughts into her ear then) and it made Yuki smile also.

'Hey guys! Err...Tia? I was wondering if I could talk to your for a minute?' she asked.

'Of course!' Tia replied and gave Rocket a look before he let her go. Not before stopping in front of Yuki to tell her something first.

'Can I just ask you stay here until I come back? I'll give you guys a while to talk, trust me but just don't leave her alone. Please,' Rocket begged and his love for Tia overpowered Yuki and made her feel twice as guilty about the situation she was currently caught in.

'Of course Rocket, I'll stay here until you get back and I won't leave her alone. You have my word,' she assured her friend's lover before he thanked her and left the two friend's alone. Yuki sat down in the chair next to the bed but before she could speak, Tia did.

'Sorry about that, he's just... He's just scared of losing me again I guess. Doesn't want to leave me alone at all!' she smiled but it was easy to see there was some pain there. She clearly felt sorry for Rocket as did everyone else. He went through so much pain and it was good that she was fine, but you had to feel for Rocket. It was clear though he wasn't going to make anymore mistakes and lose her again.

'It's alright Tia, honestly. I totally get it,' Yuki assured her and then it all went quiet. Suddenly, Tia remembered why Yuki was there in the first place.

'So what's up? You said you wanted to talk about something,' Tia said with deep concern and Yuki took a breath before speaking.

'Kind of. More show you something...' Yuki said as she pulled up her sleeve a bit to reveal the fading bruise on her wrist that still looked rather nasty.

'Shit Yuki! What happened?' Tia exclaimed as she examined the bruise closer. 'I don't want to ask this but, did someone do this to you?'

'That's what I thought when I got this one because Micro-Ice and I had been together all that night and things were a little...intense I guess you could say. But I still didn't think he hurt me. I also have these...' Yuki said as she showed a shocked Tia a few bruises round her stomach.

'So...you were with Micro-Ice the whole night the past while and every morning you've woken up with a bruise on your body?' Tia asked as she tried to get the situation straight in her head.

'That's the thing Tia...I haven't been with Micro-Ice since I got the first bruise.'

'How's your leg doing?' Mei asked her boyfriend as the two lay facing each other on the bed; enjoying one another's company.

'Its fine Mei, honestly,' D'Jok assured her but his darling Mei just wanted to be sure.

'Do you need anything? I can-'

'Mei...I'm fine. Promise. Now stop fussing and relax,' D'Jok ordered with a smile and she smiled back. The two relaxed for a while and thought about everything that had happened recently; particularly Mei. But just before Mei could say anything; D'Jok let out a shocked gasp as he peered over Mei's shoulder making her flip round but they both relaxed when they saw who it was.

'Dad, you really need to stop doing that!' D'Jok said as he and Mei sat up and Sonny sat in the chair beside the bed. Despite himself, Sonny allowed a sly grin to appear on his face which also made the two youngsters in front of him smile. 'Can I ask what we owe to the honour of this visit?' D'Jok joked with his unexpected father (meaning you never knew when he would turn up) and Sonny laughed aloud.

'My son just got engaged, there's your answer,' Sonny said simply making the engaged couple blush and smile. D'Jok was the first to respond to his father's statement.

'Thanks Dad,' D'Jok said and after a wink from Sonny, the three began to chatter bout random little things about the future wedding and what the future held from them.

'What?' Tia exclaimed as Yuki dropped the news. 'So you weren't with anyone at night and yet you still woke up with bruises?' Tia questioned just to make sure she understood the situation fully and Yuki nodded.

'There's one more thing though. I thought that may be the bruises were just me subconsciously having dreams and banging parts of my body or something. I didn't really know. But then when I woke up this morning, I found these…' Yuki announced before she rolled up one of her sleeves to reveal some shredded skin down almost the full length of her arm. Just like Yuki suspected, Tia pulled back slightly and took a few shaky breaths as the scratches on her arm had a freaky resemblance to her scarred eyes. After a few moments, Tia calmed down and tried to focus on the situation at hand but Yuki had to get a word in first.

'I'm sorry about coming to you Tia, I know it probably wasn't right of me because of your condition and all but I just… You were the only one I could turn to and I knew with you, you would tell me the truth and only you could tell me what's going on. I'm sorry but…I had no one else to turn to,' Yuki said earnestly to her close friend who simply shrugged it off like it was nothing.

'It's alright Yuki, I was just surprised but I'm fine. But do you remember anything from last night? Anything at all?' Tia asked as she couldn't remember her own experience with the self-harm and nothing after up until the point she did a runner to find Mei. Everything before that is a blur.

'I don't remember having a dream, no nothing. I remember nothing,' Yuki informed her and Tia nodded before her expression went into deep thought. 'What do you think is happening?' Yuki asked and Tia was reluctant to say but decided to tell her because Tia knew the situation as she had been in it.

'It's probably nightmares from everything that's happened. Everything's probably affected you without you realising and then the nightmares, whatever's happening in them, are causing you to hurt yourself. There's not much you can do about it but tell Micro-Ice. Having Rocket know everything is… It's a comfort knowing he's there and being able to tell him anything especially if I don't want others to know. I'll keep it to myself but tell Micro-Ice. He can help you.' With that, Tia finished and Yuki smiled. The old Tia was definitely on her way back.

'Thanks Tia,' Yuki smiled and with that, she pulled her close friend in for a friendly hug…

'D'Jok…' Mei began. Sonny had left the two alone no more than ten minutes ago and in that time; the two were simply cuddled together on D'Jok's bed talking when Mei thought of something that she wanted to get off her chest despite knowing the topic was a painful one to talk about. '…if I had to have been in Tia's position… Ok, if you and Rocket hadn't had come when you two did, most possibly they would have done what they did to Tia to the rest of us. I just want to know; and you don't have to answer, but if it were me in Tia's position and I didn't make it…how would you feel?' Mei felt guilty for putting him in that position to answer a question like that but it had been bugging her since Tia came back and then the whole engagement thing. She knew what would've happened if Rocket and D'Jok hadn't have come when they did, so with that in mind she decided to ask the question that had been bugging her.

'It would be beyond painful. It would kill me Mei, I can't live without you. That's all I can say. I'd rather not even think about losing you so that's all I can say,' D'Jok admitted and Mei took the hint that he loved her too much to even think about losing her. Mei just cuddled him closer as a silent apology for forcing the thought to go through his mind and he kissed her hair as a response. 'You know I would do anything I for you, right?'

'Of course D'Jok. That is one reason why I agreed to marry you after all!' Mei exclaimed making her fiancé smile. 'I have a surprise for you!' Mei sniggered as she jumped up out of his arms. She toddled over to the bathroom door before turning back to her dumbfounded fiancé lying on the bed. 'A little celebration of our engagement,' she said seductively and winked at him before running into the bathroom. In excitement, D'Jok sat up in the bed (being careful of his leg in the process) and randomly ruffled his hair so it looked cool but not messy at the same time and allowed his mind to wonder about Mei's surprise for him. A few minutes later, in toddled Mei in a long silk dressing gown and took a few steps towards him before stopping and dropped the dressing gown to reveal her stunning curves and long legs being revealed whilst wearing silk black underwear. D'Jok couldn't help himself as he pursed his lips as she approached him and placed herself on top of him before pressing his lips on hers in a passionate kiss.

'Don't know if you noticed but I'm not exactly able to move much right now,' D'Jok joked as Mei continued to kiss him with an amazing passion.

'Well then you lie there and enjoy,' Mei teased and D'Jok felt his body tickle pink. Ahh, how much he loved her!

'That I'll have no trouble doing,' D'Jok smiled when finally the chatter ended and the two allowed themselves to fall together into a night of passion…

'You alright?' a shirtless Rocket asked his girlfriend as he came out on to the balcony where she was leaning on the ledge. She had woken up in a bit of a state last night from a nightmare that really had her freaked and had asked for Rocket's shirt for comfort and after then, she relaxed so Rocket guessed the dream had something to do with him. He also didn't want to leave her alone so he remained where he was and didn't bother to put on a different shirt but Tia had no complaints. He then woke up in a panic when Tia wasn't lying next to him but with relief he found her outside on the balcony which was when he went out to her and secured her in his arms by placing his two arms on either side of her so she was close.

'Yeah, just still shaky about that dream last night that's all,' she said earnestly and acting on instinct, Rocket pulled himself closer to her and placed a reassuring kiss on her cheek which popped an idea into his head.

'Let's go to breakfast with the team this morning,' he said suddenly which surprised his girlfriend as she quickly snapped her head towards him. 'They miss you Tia; and we've been eating and pretty much hiding out in your hospital room since this whole thing started. It's all over now, so why not? Try, please. And then this afternoon, I'll take you out. We'll just go out and just…be together. What do you say?' Rocket honestly thought it would be good for Tia to just hang with the team and for them to just spend some time together alone without being trapped in a room together and to just have some fun. Something they hadn't done in a while.

'I guess that's a good idea but Rocket…with the team and me not being me… I don't want them to think I'm some psycho bitch,' Tia said as she repeated what a micro-chipped Simbai said to her when she was kidnapped the second time around. Of course, Rocket was quick to defend her.

'Hey…' he whispered as he pulled her round to him. 'They don't think that Tia. To them you're still Tia and they miss you. It's just breakfast and some reassurance to them that you're fine would be nice to. Try, please,' Rocket begged and Tia thought about it for a few moments before nodding.

'Ok then but just you and me this afternoon, you promise?'

'I promise,' Rocket smiled before he embraced his lover into a hug…

'It'll be ok,' Rocket assured Tia just as they were about to enter the breakfast room and with a nod, Tia grabbed his hand and allowed him to lead her into the breakfast room. Much to Tia's relief, the team just wished the couple a good morning and gave Tia a happy smile as the two sat themselves into two chairs at the end of the right side of the table with Rocket sitting next to Thran and Tia then next to him. Rocket gave Tia a sneaky wink out of cockiness that he was right and despite herself, Tia laughed before they began to dig into her breakfast. The team had normal everyday discussions as if nothing had happened over the previous few weeks and Tia was happy with that and happily joined in at places; much to Rocket's relief. After about ten minutes, Tia noticed Micro-Ice and Yuki whispering to each other but Micro-Ice had a look of concern on his face; one she had seen on Rocket quite often recently. After, Micro-Ice stood up to get a bottle of water from one of the vending machines and Tia took the chance to question Yuki so she mouthed over to her friend '_Did you tell him?_' and Yuki nodded so Tia sent her a reassuring smile and wink. Yuki replied with a smile to when Micro-Ice returned and excused himself and Yuki from the table; probably to go and see Simbai before Tia was due to. After they left, Tia went into deep thought which Rocket noticed when she stopped eating and grabbed her hand. 'You alright?' he whispered worriedly.

'I'm fine Rocket, just thinking,' Tia assured him as she began to eat her breakfast again and Rocket smiled.

After breakfast, Tia and Rocket went back to his room for half an hour and everyone else went out. Meanwhile, Yuki and Micro-Ice were with Dame Simbai who was now giving her verdict.

'Those scratches and bruises are quite nasty and it's a good thing Micro-Ice stopped you last night because that could've been really nasty; you're most recent one. But there's not much I can do to stop it. Your best bet is to stay together and you help her out when she needs it. Your bruises should be ok and I'll give what I give Tia for the scratches. And don't worry, it'll stay between us,' Simbai said before going off to get the cream.

'Do you think I'll be ok?' Yuki asked her boyfriend worriedly.

'Course you will Yuki. It's just a side effect from everything that's happened; in time it'll stop. For now, you're just going to have to trust me,' Micro-Ice said and Yuki nodded with a smile; confident he would pull her through this. Happy, Micro-Ice pulled his girlfriend into a passionate kiss…

**Woop woop! Two chapters left! Hopefully they'll get better and you guys will love them! Not overly happy with this but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyhow! Please review!**

**P.S; I re-uploaded this on the 16/1/2011 due to the mistake made in a Mei/D'Jok scene. Apologies to Mei/D'Jok fans for my mistake. **


	29. Turning The Tables Around

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football!**

'Are you ok?' Rocket asked his girlfriend who had her head leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed after Simbai had done a check-up and had given Tia her morning medication. Taking deep breaths, Tia put her head down again but her eyes remained closed.

'Yeah; just those pills knock me out of it a bit. I'll be fine in a minute once my head gets round it,' Tia assured him before she tried to keep herself calm. At first, it had seemed ok but everyday it seemed that staying sane was getting harder. The dream last night didn't help, and Tia hadn't told Rocket but she was slowly starting to lose control of herself. It wasn't visible but she could feel it and that dream last night confirmed everything. She was too scared to tell Rocket though.

'What happened in the dream Tia? Talk to me,' Rocket said and Tia's eyes jumped open but she refused to meet his gaze. 'Tia?' Rocket tried again but she still silently refused to give in. However, just as Rocket was about to try again she spoke.

'I don't want to disappoint you,' she confessed in a mere whisper that Rocket only just heard.

'What would make you think you could ever disappoint me?' Rocket asked; shocked by her statement. As Tia bit on her bottom lip, Rocket realised she didn't know what to tell him or even if she could so he gently placed two fingers under her chin and pulled her face round before giving her a gentle kiss for reassurance. She took the reassurance into consideration and when he pulled away, she confessed.

'It's getting harder everyday to not lose control of myself. I know I keep it in control but Rocket...I don't know how much longer I can control myself. I don't want to end up back at the beginning again. The dream last night was that I did go back to square one and I hurt you; I physically hurt you. I'm scared,' Tia confessed. Rocket absorbed the information he was being given carefully and then when she was done, he pulled her close and allowed her head to rest on his shoulder.

'I understand why you're scared Tia. I have to be honest and say that I'm scared to; for you, for us both. But we love each other. And you're going to have to trust that no matter what happens we always will. I'll always be by your aide when you need me unless you push me away. I promise,' he assured his darling Tia before placing a kiss on her hair. All Tia simply did then was cuddle into his chest try and grasp with her tears that came as she absorbed the information until Rocket spoke again. 'Let's leave this for now. Let's go out and have some fun together. You deserve it.' Tia backed up out of his chest and he pulled some lose strands of blond hair away from her face as he said this an with a smile, Tia nodded.

'I'd like that,' she said earnestly before allowing Rocket to pull her into a kiss and then whisk her away into a fairytale...

'You enjoyed last night I hope,' Mei muttered against D'Jok's lips as the two kissed passionately whilst each half-naked in the bed under the cover.

'Meh, it was ok...' D'Jok joked which resulted in a jokingly annoyed Mei to back off and raise an eyebrow at him. D'Jok giggles inwardly before correcting himself. 'Or at least the scenery was ok. The sex however was beyond that...' he muttered feverishly before planting a kiss at the lace of her bra making her giggle before he kissed her again; their tongues soon meeting in a matter of minutes. The kissing continued to get more and more passionate before they ran out of breath and as D'Jok ran his tongue along her neck; his hands were busy sliding her knickers down her legs whilst Mei's hands were busy with her bra. Once completed, Mei undid pulled down D'Jok's already undone jeans and slipped them down his legs before allowing their tongues to continue their battle as they slipped under the covers once again...

'How is he doing?' Mei asked as she immediately stood up from the chair she had been sitting on. Simbai had just come out of D'Jok's hospital room after a physiotherapy session and this had been the first time Mei had been asked to leave for one. She didn't argue because really he was supposed to do them on his own and Simbai had allowed her to stay for the first few to encourage him. Now D'Jok's head was getting round everything and he was becoming determined so Mei was no longer a necessity for encouragement but only for support. Despite knowing all this, Mei was still unhappy with being left outside when he was in pain which she knew even though she couldn't hear cries of pain. She could feel it in her heart; that was enough.

'He is doing very well. Still in quite a bit of pain but I don't want him on stronger painkillers unless it becomes necessary. It's just a waiting game right now I think. You can go back into him now so long as you let him rest and aren't doing 'things' with him,' Simbai said before innocently walking off with a devilish grin as she turned. Unfortunately for the engaged couple, Simbai had walked in on their early morning sex session which was quickly put at a stop. Usually Mei would say 'for the time being' but for the circumstances, she knew D'Jok would be far too tired to handle anything physical tonight so she guessed they would just watch a movie or something much to her delight.

Without further hesitation, Mei entered D'Jok's room to see her tired looking fiancé lying on the bed. Carefully, she took a place in the seat to his bed as he smiled at her and she gently stroked his fiery red hair.

'How are you feeling?' she asked with deep concern.

'Tired but ok. Legs getting less painful; still incredibly sore but slowly and painfully getting better,' he laughed making Mei smile at his sheer determination.

'Do you want to get some sleep maybe? I'm not being mean or anything but you really don't look too good,' she said earnestly as she completely absorbed his zombie like appearance. It seemed she had worked him quite a bit last night.

'I wonder who's fault that is,' D'Jok laughed and despite herself, Mei laughed to. 'But I guess you're right, I probably should get some sleep. Stay? Please?'

'You know I want to D'Jok but if I do, you won't sleep. I have to do some stuff anyway so tell you what; you go to sleep, I'll do my stuff and I'll be here the moment you wake up, promise.' With a smile, D'Jok nodded making Mei smile in response before she stood up. Firstly before she left, she placed a hand on his hand and gently leaned down and kissed his soft lips which made him instinctively grab her free hand and hold it tight. 'I love you,' Mei whispered lovingly after she pulled back making D'Jok's smile widen and she stroked his hair once again.

'I love you too Mei,' he replied before letting her hand go and reluctantly allowed his stunning fiancée leave the room so he could get some sleep...

As Mei walked down the corridor to her room where she could ring her parent's and update them and other things, she was unable to notice the figure that sped round the corner and bumped into her. She would've fallen to the ground if she hadn't had managed to somehow regain her balance and when she heard a slam on the ground, she instantly knew who had bumped into her.

'Micro-Ice,' she stated rather than asking and looked to see that it was indeed Micro-Ice trying to collect himself on the floor. Once back to earth, he jumped up to apologise.

'Sorry Mei, my head's just a bit all over the place right now,' Micro-Ice apologised and Mei immediately became concerned as her instincts told her something was bothering her fellow teammate.

'Everything ok Micro?' Mei asked and for a split second, Micro-Ice wanted to open up. But despite what he wanted, he knew he wasn't right to say anything as it wasn't his business so he just nodded.

'Everything's fine Mei, thanks. Just still trying to recover from everything that happened and get my head round it all,' he smiled but Mei could see right though. She smiled back at him however as she knew that Micro-Ice was well capable of handling problems on his own now. He had proven himself during the kidnapping incident so Mei had faith that he would pull through whatever it was.

'I think we all are!'

'Haha, yeah! Say, have you seen Yuki anywhere?' Micro-Ice asked as his girlfriend was supposed to meet him at a cafe just under an hour ago and he was worried. He hadn't gone to her room yet but at least if Mei knew where she was, then he wouldn't be wasting time in guessing where she was and trying to find her.

'In her room I think. That's where she was when I was last taking to her anyway and I haven't seen her since so...'

'Thanks Mei, you're awesome!' Micro-Ice said hastily before running off down the corridor towards Yuki's room. Smiling, Mei let out a small laugh before going off herself down the opposite side of the corridor...

'Hey! Are you ok?' Micro-Ice asked his girlfriend as he entered the room. Yuki jumped slightly when he entered and in seeing whom it was, rubbed her eyes but couldn't disguise the evidenced that she was crying as Micro-Ice sat next to her on the bed.

'Yeah, fine,' she muttered falsely but even without that, Micro-Ice knew she was lying.

'Great. Now tell me the truth,' he asked her and without looking in his eyes, Yuki pondered on what to say when she finally picked the best option.

'I don't know how much longer I can do this,' she said earnestly as one single tear drop leaked from her eye which Micro-Ice quickly wiped away with his thumb before taking the chance to turn her face round to him.

'It's just a scratch Yuki; it's okay. It's not even sore,' he tried to reason but Yuki was quick to jump in.

'That's not the point Micro-Ice! The point is that I hurt you; I physically hurt you! I can deal with hurting myself but not hurting other people, especially you,' she explained and Micro-Ice honestly couldn't find another thing to say to defend her.

'Believe me; I understand what you're thinking. But we've been through so much Yuki; I don't want us to fall now. I don't care if you stab me in your sleep or break every bone in my body; I'm still going to stand by you until this phase is over because that's all it is. A phase and one we will get through; together. I promise. You're just going to have to trust me.' Yuki honestly couldn't speak as she felt the tears choke in her throat. She swallowed hard before trying to say what you wanted.

'Thank you.' Was all she could mutter and showed him a small smile to help reassure him she was happy to go on with him by her side and he smiled back.

'You're welcome,' he smiled back before putting his arms around her and pulling her to him; planting a kiss on her head from time to time.

'I love you.'

'I love you too,' Micro-Ice replied without hesitation and kissed her hair before holding the woman he loved close to his body...

Things, for once, were going great. Tia was happy and so was Rocket. He firstly took her out for a long walk around the nearest park before they came across a spot that was cosy an private so they lay there and talked before lunch time came and went and they were hungry. Tia wasn't in the mood for fancy or anything special and since Rocket wasn't either, the two settled with grabbing a bag of chips before returning to their spot in the park. An hour later, the park was starting to get crowded and Rocket, truthfully slightly concerned about Tia's help but also wanting total privacy, suggested they go for a walk which they did and soon came across a small river which had a wide but small bridge connecting either side and no one was around or could be heard so Rocket decided to stay there for at least a little while.

Already having a grip on her hand, when everything went quiet Rocket randomly decided to twirl his girlfriend which made her giggle before he let go her hand, bent down a bit and lifted her up; twirling her around in the process as she began to laugh a bit harder. Usually, Rocket hated dancing with a passion. But for Tia, he would do the chicken dance if it made her happy. Her happiness was all that ever really mattered; especially now.

Placing her feet back on to solid ground, the two laughed breathlessly as Rocket trapped her between him and the ledge of the bridge but she had no complaints.

'You feeling better now?' Rocket asked; this morning's discussion playing on his mind. They hadn't talked about it all day but since she seemed content, Rocket thought it best to ask now and then relax her again after should he need to.

'A little, yeah. I'm still wondering if I'm going to get through this but... Today's just made me remember that you really, really love me. Before I never would've believed it but I do know it now, I just need a reminder from time-to-time! If you've stuck with me through the past while then there's no question that you love and that's coming from me so that's something,' she smiled at him and Rocket couldn't remove the smile off his face as he pulled her into a passionate kiss which lasted for a few minutes. When Rocket broke the kiss, he couldn't find his tongue so instead he gazed at her and caressed her cheek when he finally found words to speak.

'I'll always be here for you Tia, I promise,' he swore to her and Tia smiled and nodded; probably for the first time ever being able to realise it were in fact true. At seeing Tia's glorious smile, Rocket smiled back. 'It's great to see you happy again.'

'It's great to be happy again,' Tia replied and with that, Rocket pulled her into a passionate kiss. 'I love you,' Tia muttered in a quick gasp.

'I love you too,' Rocket replied before he continued to kiss her. He allowed her to wrap her arms around him as he pulled her close to his body; silently swearing that he would never lose the woman he loved again...

'A small or a big one?' D'Jok questioned his fiancée as the two were cuddled up together on his hospital bed. He was just resting his leg and was feeling refreshed after taking an hour's nap.

'Medium sized. Not a small gathering but not a big one either. In between kind of so it's not dead or over the top,' Mei explained as she had her picture of an ideal wedding portrayed perfectly in her head. D'Jok couldn't help but giggle at this but then he flinched and let out a sigh of pain flicking Mei's senses on high alert. 'Are you alright?' she asked worriedly.

'Yeah, my leg's just gone dead. That's all,' D'Jok laughed as he moved his leg to a more comfortable position and breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling he was relaxed again, Mei settled herself back into his arms and enjoyed hearing his heart beat steadily from under her making a small smile creep upon her face.

'Who would've thought when we first met that we would be getting married...' Mei thought aloud as she thought her way through her relationship with him which had many highs and also many lows but it was spectacular nonetheless.

'I know. It seemed so...far-fetched? But I guess you don't really know someone until you see what's inside an when I saw what was inside of you I just...fell head over heels basically,' D'Jok said earnestly as he gazed at her crystal blue eyes lovingly; the eyes he found himself gazing at at both the most appropriate and also inappropriate times but loved it all the same either way. Mei smiled up at him in hearing his loving speech and suddenly leaned up before allowing him to close the gap between them. They continued to kiss passionately (and carefully in case of D'Jok's leg) and only broke away when they ran out of breath but he kept her close by pressing their foreheads together and keeping a tight grasp round her waist.

'I love you,' Mei whispered lovingly as the two tried to catch their breath back.

'I love you too Mei...so much,' D'Jok replied before pulling her back into the kiss. How much he loved her! And he was going to marry her. This...stunning creature with luscious lips and crystal blue eyes. Lovely long legs and curves to die for. But what was underneath her body is what he loved about her most. He loved the gentleness about her, how caring and loving she was; just...everything. Her smile was a bonus which he also loved. He loved her and she was worth everything he had done during the incident. And not even a poisoned leg could make him regret it...

'...well, yeah! But that's because it's awesome!' Micro-Ice joked with his lover who was resting in his arms. The two had spent pretty much most, if not all, their afternoon plus whatever time in the evening had passed sitting on his bed talking and just having a laugh. Even Micro-Ice in his newly discovered mature and manly way could still be a total fool which was why Yuki adored him so much. Still, his newly discovered ways were quite attractive she had to admit.

'Do you love me?' Yuki spoke randomly after a few minutes of awkward silence and Micro-Ice gave her a funny look before answering.

'Of course! Or else I wouldn't have slept with you or even be with you!' Micro-Ice pointed out; getting goose bumps when he mentioned sleeping with her. That was an experience they both enjoyed quite a lot.

'True! And I know you love you, I just... Maybe in the future you could give me one of those big long love lectures about why you love me and what it is you love and me and... Like, tell me in an emotional heartfelt kind of way. Not now because we're there yet but...in the future,' Yuki said; honestly not sure why she had said that or even if there was a point to it. She was happy however when Micro-Ice pulled her into a gentle kiss and pulled away with a smile on his face.

'In good time,' he said charmingly making her giggle when he became a little bit more serious. 'But right now you're going to have to try and fully trust me Yuki. This all will stop eventually and I'm going to be there with you always. When you have full belief in that, it all will stop. I promise you,' Micro-Ice swore and Yuki smiled at him. He really was amazing. She nodded to show that she understood completely and contented, Micro-Ice pulled her into a more...passionate kiss and the two allowed their lips and bodies to mould together; both happy with their blossoming and happy relationship which they both could see lasting a lifetime for one simple reason: they both loved each other...

**Ok! I have a good excuse for not writing this and uploading, like two weeks ago lol Basically I am seriously mad busy right now with my music career; I have a gig coming up and three competitions to write for to which the deadline is this weekend lol And most of next week is rehearsals but no worries, the final chapter of PP will be uploaded =) Most of you probably know what the final plot will be but for those that don't, I won't ruin it =P Hope you guys enjoyed this and sorry again for it being late =D **

**Next one is the last one =( Will be the best though, I promise!**


	30. I Think I Wanna Marry You

**Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football**

**Epilogue**

**I Think I Wanna Marry You**

The sun blazed in on a young couple lying cuddled in bed together one bright morning. The day was set to be a busy one and even though these two weren't to be the centre of the event, it was still a big day for them but in a different way than it was to the soon-to-be-newlyweds.

The young man stirred as the sun fell directly upon his face and in feeling another presence in the bed; he relaxed himself and opened his eyes in his lover's direction so he could see her angel-like complexion which looked even more amazing with some sun shining on top of it.

It had been six months since Tia's death and revival and everything else and even though they had been taking things slow, they were happy and that was all that mattered. Rocket suggested they moved in together when Tia was out if Simbai's permanent care after two months and they found a nice apartment that was nearby Rocket's parents and the Academy should anything happen; mainly meaning to her. Tia's eyes were scarred but only that was all and she had many restrictions to what she could do and today was a big day for her to as it would be her first event with crowds of people since she had not been to a party or anything since the incident. Also, her and Rocket had not slept together because, as Tia thought, he was concerned she wasn't ready just yet but another reason was that Rocket had a fear of her possibly getting pregnant or a sexually transmitted disease or something like that. She couldn't deal getting pregnant just yet, he knew, and he wasn't prepared to risk her health either.

Overall, things were great for them and Rocket continued to wake up every morning with a smile on his face in seeing her lying next to him; her beautiful complexion calm and relaxed. Suddenly she started and within a few gut wrenching moments, her eyes fluttered open to reveal her sparkling emerald orbs allowing Rocket to relax.

'Hey,' he welcomed as he stroked some White hair off her face and smiled down at her with her smiling widely back up at him.

'Hi,' she welcomed gently and they continued to smile and gaze at each other for a few moments when Rocket spoke again.

'How did you sleep? You feeling alright about today?' he asked and Tia couldn't help but smile at him.

'I slept fine Rocket, I promise. I'm fine about today to! We have been to small gatherings before this, it's just another step up and one I'm going to have to take someday so I might as well do it now when the opportunity is there. Just...hold my hand,' Tia laughed lightly and Rocket smiled at her before taking a grasp of one of her hands for reassurance. She beamed up at him when she spoke again. 'I still a bit guilty about bailing on Mei though...'

'Tia...being maid of honour is a big deal. Even if it isn't, it would be at Mei's wedding. She told you not to do it if you weren't up for it and you weren't that's why you said no. You're still a bridesmaid and Mei is just happy that you're able to go! Don't worry about it, the bride herself wouldn't want you to be,' Rocket assured her.

'Yeah, I guess you're right. I must've scared the shit out of her when I had my bad days...' she muttered almost in a whisper but still made Rocket shiver. Tia did indeed have her bad news and my God did she have them. Some days she was so bad she almost had to be pinned to the bed to keep her calm but Rocket never left the bed she was on and his parent's voluntarily would come by and help if he needed it or be on standby should anything go wrong. A few times they had to change their plans when Tia took into a state like that every once in a while and Tia had a fear in her it would happen the day of her best's friend wedding but she was fine and little did she know, things were about to get better...

'Can I ask you something Tia?' Rocket asked and Tia looked at him wonderingly before nodding. He gulped before sitting up in the bed as she leaned on her arm. 'I want to ask you something but I want you to know that no matter what you say it won't change things and I don't want you to feel pressured into agreeing…' he said as he got out of the bed and opened the draw of his nightstand; taking out a small box. Tia watched curiously as he flipped open the box before turning it around so she could see the diamond ring inside. She gasped in shock as he got down on one knee. 'Will you… Will you marry me Tia? You don't have to if you can't right now but even-'

'Yes.'

'What?' Rocket looked at his girlfriend with a shocked expression; shocked that she had said yes. He had expected a no or for her to at least tell him to wait and that was pretty much the closure he wanted since the question had been bothering him for months now. Of course he could've picked a better day than Mei and D'Jok's wedding day but the moment felt right.

'Yes…I'll marry you,' Tia smiled at him. Rocket found himself speechless as he gazed at her for a few seconds. Tia allowed him to take in the information on his own and when he did so, he quickly jumped on the bed next to her again. She held out her left hand with a smile and Rocket grabbed it to put the ring on but he hesitated for a second in not being able to fully comprehend that this was actually happening. Tia understood this though and allowed him to come to terms with it in his own time as even she could tell he had not expected her to say yes at all; never mind without any hesitation. Finally grasping it, Rocket smiled widely as he put the ring on her middle finger as Tia watched it with amazement. It was so beautiful! When Rocket pulled back, his gaze immediately met Tia's and they smiled before Rocket couldn't help himself and pulled his fiancée into a loving hug; his hand enveloping in her hair. They stayed close to each other for a few minutes when Tia pulled back and allowed Rocket to pull her into a deep kiss. Their lips stayed attached for a few minutes when they finally ran out of breath and decided to gaze into each other's eyes for a bit instead.

'What made you say yes? I mean…what if you're not ready yet?' Rocket asked even though he was delighted she said yes. He was just worried that the whole concept of marriage would affect her health and then the attention when they announced it. He feared it would be nearly too much for her.

'Rocket, just because we got engaged doesn't mean we have to get married in six months are anything. We can wait; for a year, two years; even ten years! We don't even _have_ to get married if we don't want to. I know it's the traditional thing but there's no rule saying we have to. To be honest, you just asking me means more than anything. I'm not ready for marriage just yet but I can handle being engaged Rocket, honestly,' she assured him and Rocket realised that he had being over-reacting again but laughed at himself for her sake. She smiled back and in seeing the smile, he pulled her into a kiss but after a few seconds, she pulled back. 'Can I just ask one thing of you please?' she asked and he nodded. 'Can we keep this between us for a while? It's Mei and D'Jok's day and I just don't think I can handle the attention yet. Please?'

'Of course Tia,' he promised his fiancée before planting a hand at the base of her neck and pulling her into a kiss. They kissed for a few moments before Rocket pulled away, got off the bed and lifted a giggling Tia into his arms bridal style. 'Come on! Let's get you ready to go to Mei's!' he announced before carrying her into the bathroom…

'Tia! You look...wow!' Mei announced as Tia came out of the bathroom after getting self ready. Mei's parent's house was busy with people running around trying to get organised for the wedding. Surprisingly enough, Mei was the calmest of them all which Tia found odd as she watched her best friend turn back to the dresser and check her make-up for about the tenth time as Yuki made a start on her hair. Tia smiled and shyly said thanks for her best friend before shuffling nervously on her feet. Refusing to allow her nerves get the better of her; she started to help Mei get ready with a thanks from Yuki.

'YUKI! YUKI! Where are the flowers?' Mei's mother's voice shook through the building making the three girls jump before Yuki answered her calling.

'I'll be back in a sec Tia,' Yuki assured her before leaving Mei to tend to the rest of her maid if honour duties. Tia took in a breath and tried to relax herself but it was struggle since due to the tension, she was struggling to do anything right with Mei's hair. Concerned for her friend, Mei asked her to stop before turning round to her.

'Are you alright Tia? You seem a bit on edge,' Mei commented and Tia lowered he'd head before answering.

'I'm just a little nervous with everyone around and running around like crazy. I'll be fine once I get into things, promise,' Tia assured her but Mei only seemed slightly convinced.

'It's hard without Rocket here, isn't it?' Tia snapped her head up almost instantly in response before sighing ad nodded.

'Right now, yes. But I'll be fine again with him during the wedding. I'm just...used to having him around I guess.'

'You'll be fine! But...' Mei lowered her voice and gestured Tia closer. '...I have something to tell you but promise me you won't tell anyone else, got it?' Tia nodded to this before leaning down and allowed Mei whisper the secret into her ear. When she finished, Mei pulled back to find Tia's mouth hanging open but before anything could be said, Yuki returned.

'Sorry guys flower emergency!' Yuki apologised before helping Tia do Mei's hair. Due to being so busy on Mei's hair, Yuki failed to notice the little wink that was shared between her two best friends...

'Mei...wow,' Yuki gasped out whereas Tia could only cover her mouth and look at her best friend with pride. She looked so beautiful.

'What do you guys think?' Mei asked the five most important women in her life: her mum, her nan, her Godmother and her two best friend's. Instantly, all 5 ladies erupted into compliments of how pretty she looked as it sunk in for everyone including Mei that the wedding days here. As everyone else bounced around with excitement, Mei found herself starting to get a tad nervous but she was still excited at the same time.

After a few make-up, hair and dress check-ups by her mother, the photographer announced he would take photos and did so of Mei on her own before different group photos etc.

Following that, Yuki announced it was time they headed to the venue and with encouraging words from Tia, Mei smiled before taking a breath as she prepared to plunge into the next stage of her life...

'No way D'Jok, not before the wedding! You can have as much liquor as you want after the wedding but not right now!' Rocket warned the nervous groom as the boys stood outside D'Jok and Mei's place awaiting their Dad's to come round with the cars to take them to the church. All week upon the mourn of the wedding; D'Jok had been calm and not at all nervous about the wedding. He had enjoyed his stag night two weeks ago and spent a few nights with Mei the following week and now it was the wedding. Time was passing so fast and now he was about to take a leap forward with Mei. Before they knew it, they would have kids running around them and truthfully that idea scared him. Things had been moving so fast for them and being with Mei was the last thing on his mind before and even at the start of when he met her. And now they were getting married. This was crazy!

'Yeah yeah…' D'Jok muttered randomly, not really directing it to Rocket. His two best men exchanged cheeky smiles in seeing how nervous their usually cocky and confident (sometimes overconfident) friend was. D'Jok's leg had healed up quite nicely and he was able to stand and walk like nothing had happened but not for a long period of time. So today would be tough but him and Mei had become quite good at covering for him and everyone knew anyways, so there wouldn't much trouble.

'Don't worry bro! Even if she does ditch you on the aisle, we'll still be here for you!' Micro-Ice joked making Rocket bite the inside of his mouth to stop the laughter and D'Jok to send his best friend a scowl.

'How reassuring…' D'Jok muttered sarcastically and rolled his eyes which made Micro-Ice and Rocket exchange amused expressions.

'Stop worrying D'Jok! Mei's going to be there and everything will be fine, relax,' Rocket reassured but a nervous D'Jok was quite on edge at that current moment in time.

'Easy for you to say, you're not marrying Tia.' Rolling his eyes, Rocket gave up in trying to calm down his friend just as Sonny and Norata arrived on the scene to pick up the three boys.

'Rocket's right D'Jok…' Sonny began, picking up on the conversation the younger men were after having. 'Relax. Things happen for a reason and if you weren't supposed to marry Mei, life would've never allowed you to propose to her in the first place!' Sonny assured his son who thought carefully about what his father was saying and nodded. If anyone could get through to him, it was his father.

'Yeah, I guess you're right,' D'Jok sighed as he tried to relax himself.

'Great! Now let's go; we have a wedding to attend to!'

As D'Jok stood at the top of the aisle tapping his foot impatiently in his seat, Mei was in a small room waiting to be told the wedding was about to start and was pacing like hell around the tiny room. There was a mixture of excitement and nerves in the air and even though she was excited, she was a little bit nervous to and she wasn't used to be the slightest bit nervous so she wasn't sure of how to react. Thankfully though Tia and Yuki were next to her but she was still nervous. Just before any of them could voice some reassuring words, Mei's Dad came into the room.

'It's time! Are you ready honey?' her Dad asked and Mei took a deep breath before nodding. With a reassuring smile and nod from Tia and Yuki, Mei nodded and felt a small smile appear on her facial expression as she took hold of her Dad's arm in preparation for taking a leap into her future…

As the music started to play, everyone came into stance including D'Jok who stood nervously and turned to the back of the well done-up church (thanks to Rocket and his parent's who had arranged all the flowers). In the instance he turned, he was unaware that Mei was already in sight at the back of the church and felt his body freeze when he saw her. She looked stunning. She was wearing a simple, sequined tight dress that hugged her curves nicely and went out only a tad at the bottom below her waist. She left the veil and was wearing a simple tiara and was also wearing only a hint of make-up so she looked natural. She looked so amazingly beautiful D'Jok prepared himself to faint at the sight of his darling, soon-to-be-wife Mei. She smiled delightfully as she came up the aisle with the bridesmaids behind and Mei herself linked on to her Dad's arm. As they finally reached the top, Mei's Dad gave her a peck on the cheek before handing her over to her future husband and the happy couple each took a deep breath and they took hold of each, everyone sat down and the ceremony began…

The ceremony went off without a hitch. With their hands tightly gripped throughout, the two smiled delightfully as the priest went through the service. Tears poured like a waterfall from Mei's eyes as their mother's as the two said their vows to each other; promising to always love each other. Even D'Jok and his father, the legendary Pirate leader, had a twinkle of tears in their eyes.

'You may now kiss the bride!' With that, the happy newlyweds smiled before leaning in and pressing their lips together in a passionate kiss. In that very instant, the church erupted into a loud cheer for the happy couple. Clutching each other's hands, the two made their way back down the aisle and soon everyone else followed; all gathering up outside for some photos and congrats etc. As Micro-Ice and Yuki were over with the newlyweds, Tia stood out from the group with a small smile on her face when she suddenly she felt something grip her waist.

'Are you ok?' A voice asked and Tia turned to meet the hazel eyes she fell in love with all those years ago making her smile.

'Now yes. I was a little nervous earlier but I'm fine now; promise,' she swore and her fiancé smiled before pulling her closer as he placed a kiss on her hair; holding her close.

'Aren't they just so cute and happy together?' Yuki muttered as she leaned on her boyfriend's arm as they watched the newlyweds greet the rest of the guests with big happy smiles on their faces.

'Yeah yeah…' Micro-Ice muttered which made Yuki smirk before hitting her boyfriend's arm playfully. 'Oh! That hurt!' Micro-Ice whined.

'Come on Micro, you aren't still annoyed over that are you?' Yuki complained and tried to maintain a serious expression but she failed miserably.

'He's supposed to be my best friend! It would've been so much cheaper to since I was offering it to them for free!' Micro-Ice told his girlfriend who couldn't stop the laugh that erupted from her belly making him send her a scowl.

'I'm sorry Micro but Mice Delight just doesn't cut it as a 'wedding-y' type drink,' Yuki sadly informed her depressed boyfriend who sighed and bowed his head. Laughing, Yuki pulled on his arm and started practically jumping up and down on the spot to try and get him to move. 'Come on Micro-Ice! Where's my hyperactive party animal?' Yuki joked making Micro-Ice stick his tongue out at her playfully but concluded with a laugh. 'There'll be some photos here and then we'll go for food which I know all too well you love then it's time to dance the night away and I don't fancy dancing around with a sober, depressed guy thank you very much!' Yuki said before leaning closer to him and bringing her tone down an octave. 'Besides, the more you dance with me then the warmer I'll get with this dress on which means I'll need some help taking it off later…' she whispered seductively and leaned back to see a wolfish smile on her boyfriend's face. That stayed on as he gave her a small but passionate kiss before taking her up in his arms making her giggle like a little two year old…

Following that, everyone went to the hotel where the meals and dancing where to occur and where everyone was staying so they could stay up until all hours of the night. Before the meal, there were speeches made my D'Jok and both the newlyweds' father's which brought some to tears to nearly everyone in the room. The food was delicious, and that was coming from everyone; not just Micro-Ice. Then an all too smug D'Jok delightfully removed the garter from a giggling Mei's leg. Then, it was down to the part everyone could barely wait for: the dancing!

There were further tears during the newlywed's first dance (which Tia had her camera out) but then the upbeat songs were on and everyone in the room where getting down. An hour into the dancing, another slow-ish song played and all the couples were up close having fun and whispering things into each other's ear.

'One drink Rocket won't do you any harm!' Tia insisted as she slow danced with her lover who seemed to find something interesting at her neck as his head was there and eyes drifted close.

'No, I'm good,' Rocket said as he took in her scent. Tia was not happy with him to say the least. As flattered as she was and how she half expected this to happen; she was annoyed at her fiancé for refusing to drink any alcohol at all in her presence. She was strictly forbidding at drinking alcohol since she basically couldn't handle that right now but Rocket had chosen to support his lover by not drinking in her presence either. When they were out with the team, he would stick to water and coke like her and yes, she had discovered from D'Jok that Rocket did indeed drink when out with the boys but very little which explained why he always came home to her perfectly sober. She was flattered but annoyed also. It was unfair on Rocket. He however, felt differently.

'Rocket...'

'Don't start Tia, I'm fine!' Rocket assured her as he pulled back. Tension rose in Tia's body as she feared she made him angry but her body relaxed again when he backed away and smiled delightfully at her. They gazed at each other as they slow danced and melted closer together when Tia noticed Rocket sigh.

'Is everything okay?' she asked worriedly and Rocket shook his head as if she had just woke him up from a dream.

'Yeah, more than fine actually. I guess I just always thought this would be you and I first if you know what I mean,' Rocket confessed; feeling a little bit selfish. He didn't want to think that he and Tia should've been the first to get married and all but he did feel that way. He hated himself for it but he couldn't help himself.

'And we will. We won't be the first but it will happen before you know it and that's all that really matters in the end,' Tia assured him and in hearing those words from her mouth, he relaxed a little and smiled at her.

'What made you say yes?' Rocket asked making Tia give him a confused look. 'I mean, what made you say yes now? Why not wait? I'm not complaining because I really couldn't be happier but I'm just curious.'

'I've been waiting for you to ask me since after the second Cup. Obviously I stopped thinking about it when everything happened but for the past two months or so it crossed my mind again. I always swore to myself that the second you asked would be the second I said yes and you asked me so I said yes. I wasn't going to change my dreams just because of what happened. I've always wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, if not forever. Just because we got engaged doesn't mean we have to get married now. We can wait. We have forever,' Tia smiled and Rocket couldn't remove the delighted smile from his face. He opened his mouth to reply when a small figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside them.

'ENGAGED? I knew it would happen sooner or later! I knew it; I knew I knew I knew!' Micro-Ice jumped up and down delightfully and despite themselves, Rocket and Tia let out a small laugh. That changed however when Micro-Ice said the next thing. 'Ohhhh, I have to tell the team!' he screamed excitedly before running off to tell the others on the team about the engagement.

'Micro-Ice, wait no...-' They were too late however as Micro-Ice had already reached the rest of the team who were jumbled together in the middle of the dance floor. As soon as Mei and D'Jok came over to see what they had all started getting over-excited about, Rocket grabbed a horrified Tia's hand and dragged her away to a hidden corner.

'Just say the word, and we're out of here!' Rocket promised her; knowing that this was not what she wanted and that it would be difficult for her to handle everyone congratulating them and them getting all the attention. Plus, this was Mei and D'Jok's day; not theirs. It wasn't fair. Surprisingly enough, Tia didn't reply straightaway and looked in deep thought as she thought about what to do next. Just as her fiancé was about to ask, she spoke.

'Show me the ring,' she requested and with a moment of shocked hesitation, he did as she asked; reaching into his inside pocket. They both wanted the ring close as it was a reminder to them both of the joy they were currently sharing since Tia couldn't wear the ring in public just yet so Rocket had suggested that he keep it in his inside pocket which he did so. He handed her the box and she carefully took it in her own hands. Lifting the lid, she gazed at the ring for a split second before taking it out and handing the ring back to Rocket on it's own before she held out her left hand towards him. 'Put it on.'

'You don't have to Tia...' Rocket was about to insist but was interrupted.

'I'm ready. I know I am,' she promised with a smile and nod so taking the hint, Rocket easily placed the ring on her finger as his body tickled pink with excitement. When the ring was secure safely on her finger, they two exchanged smiles when someone yelled out their names. Instinctively, Tia grabbed on to Rocket's shirt and he wrapped his arms around her in response.

'Dude's! Is it true?' Throne exclaimed excitedly and before Rocket had a chance to even open his mouth, Tia had her left hand out to them revealing the diamond engagement ring. Yuki grabbed her friend's hand to examine it closer and her eyes widened in shock at it. It looked so expensive! Well, you could always trust Rocket to do his best for the best thing in his life anyways. Rocket said thanks and Tia stayed silent as everyone congratulated them when suddenly the music stopped and someone coughed into the microphone to grab everyone's attention. When they looked, they found the newlyweds themselves standing next to each other with hands intertwined.

'I know I've already made a speech and all but there are a few more things I want to say before the alcohol kicks in...' he joked causing a small eruption of laughter from the guests before he continued. 'First off, and some of you may not be aware if this yet, but I want to congratulate Rocket and Tia on their own engagement!' D'Jok announced and all the guests cheered for the engaged couple who went bright red with Tia nearly hiding behind Rocket but they smiled anyhow. Softly Rocket kissed her hair before D'Jok continued. 'That however is not all the news. Mei and I have some news if our own to top off our day. Mei is...pregnant.' At the very instant D'Jok spoke those words, everyone in the hall cheered as loud as they ever had before as the newlyweds shared a passionate kiss on the stage. Rocket and Tia too were cheering for them and when everything calmed down, the music began to play and different people were congratulating Mei and D'Jok at different time; Rocker pulled his fiancée to the side.

'You knew,' he stated rather than asking and after letting out a small giggle, Tia nodded.

'She told me earlier. She also told me they wouldn't announce it until during the dancing part of the evening and after she told me, I had to tell her about us. It wasn't planned for Micro-Ice to blurt it out; I can tell you that much but at least Mei covered for us then because she knew. I mean, it is their day after all so! At least everyone knows and they can congratulate us properly in their own time, not in the middle of a wedding!' Rocket smiled at her as she spoke before bending down to kiss her after.

'I love you Tia,' he whispered lovingly.

'I love you too Rocket,' Tia replied before giving him another short kiss. Following that, Rocket grabbed her hand and led her back on to the dance floor. At long last he had his girl. And he was never going to lose her again...

'This was without a shadow of a doubt the best day of my entire life,' Mei smiled at her husband as the two were slow dancing despite an upbeat number playing.

'Mine too,' he smiled back before planting his lips on hers once again in a passionate kiss which lasted for a few minutes. When they pulled back they smiled delightfully at one another as their forehead's rested together. 'You don't know how much I love you.'

'I think I have a good idea,' Mei smiled and he smiled back with so much love in his eyes, it almost made her feel faint. Concluding that her husband was undoubtedly irresistible, she pulled him in for another passionate kiss which lasted much longer than the one just before that.

'GET A ROOM!' a group of male voices complained in unison and the couple turned to see the team surrounding them and they couldn't stop the laugh that escaped from the mouths. The whole team danced together as a team; laughing and joking as if nothing had happened all those months ago. They were together, healthy and most importantly all of them were happy. And none of them would let that change.

Suddenly, Thran spoke up.

'Does anyone know where Micro-Ice and Yuki are?'

**The End**

**IT'S FINISHED! As sad as I am its over, I'm glad this chapter is finished because it took forever to write! Mind you, I didn't want to end this story so that could be a partial reason! Still, am not overly happy with this but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyhow!**

**First things first then, on with the announcements!**

**A few people have asked if I plan to do a sequel and no, I am not doing a sequel. BUT (yes there's a but!) I plan to do a spin-off type thing which will contain all six characters but with a plot that's not at all connected to PP but I hope you guys will enjoy it all the same when I start to write it.**

**Until then, I am doing a number off one-shots that will be based during and after PP so I hope you all enjoy that there! **

**Now, the thank you's:**

**THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! You all have been amazing and I'm thrilled you all enjoyed this story! I loved writing each and every chapter for you guys and I hope you enjoy all my future projects to!**

**Thank you guys so much again and a special thanks to Hannah who tortured me throughout every chapter to update; especially this final one! **

**Thank you guys again, I look forward to reading your reviews of this last chapter and hearing your opinions on my future stories =)**

**Lauren xxx**


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